syllabus
Introduction to Robotics
Fall 2023, T-Th 3:30-4:50 PM, @ FAH 1450
Room
Professor: Henrik I Christensen, Office hours: Tuesday
1:00-3:00
TAs: Seth Farnell and Narayanan Elavathur Ranganatha
Office Hours in Franklin Antonio Hall 3rd Floor -- 3301
Prerequisites
This is an introductory graduate class so a minimum of formal requirements are assumed beyond an ability to program.
Basic knowledge of linear algebra and image processing will be helpful.
Piazza
We will be using Piazza for class communication/discussions, so you should get an enrollment email from them. Please do sign up and check it out. The URL for the Piazza site is here
Emailing about the class:
Please use piazza as much as possible, but if you must email me, please be sure to use "CSE276A" in the subject line, automatically done by clicking this link: hichristensen@ucsd.edu
Class Goals
The desired learning outcomes for the students are:
- Understanding basic and advanced concepts in robotics
- Understanding the most common techniques used in the field
- Applying them on one or more robotic platforms/simulations and gain experience
- Interacting with your peers about the material, polls, quizzes, and assignments
- Evaluating your own progress in the course on a regular basis
Textbook
- Robotics, Vision & Control, Peter Corke, Springer Verlag. (see its webpage for links)
Assignments (20% each)
There will be five assignments, spaced throughout the
quarter, each covering different aspects of robotics. We will
use Canvas for submission of assignments. The CANVAS site is
here
We will use a set of Qualcomm RB5 platforms for the exercises. The robot systems are composed for MegaBot mBots with on-board RB5 computers. There are 50+ systems available, so at least one for every two students to loan. The systems must be returned by the end of the quarter to receive a final grade. We do have capacity for everyone to have their own robot.
Participation in Class:
To encourage interaction, there is a 5% participation grade, allowing to get up to 5% extra credit for engaging in class dialogue and on Piazza (e.g., answering each others questions, asking questions).
Collaboration Policy:
Collaboration on assignments is encouraged at the "white board" level. That is, share ideas and technical conversation, but write your own code. Students are expected to abide by the Honor Code. Honest and ethical behavior is expected at all times. All incidents of suspected dishonesty will be reported to and handled by the Dean of Students.
Late Policy:
1 day late: 75% of the grade, 2 days late: 50% of the grade, later than that: 0% of the grade. It is always permissible to ask prior approval to hand in an assignment late because of special circumstances.
Grading:
- Assignments: 100%
- Participation Grade: 5% Extra Credit