Difference between revisions of "ME CS 132 2017"

Latest revision as of 16:18, 24 May 2017

This is the homepage for ME/CS 132(a,b) (Advanced Robotics: Navigation and Vision) for Winter/Spring 2017.

Course Staff, Hours, Location

Lecture Schedule: Based on a vote in the first organizing class, for the near future ME/CS 132(b) we meet at these times:

• Monday: 10:00-11:00 am - 115 Gates-Thomas
• Wednesday: 2:00-3:00 pm. - 384 Firestone
• Friday: 3:00-4:00 pm. - 384 Firestone

Note: As the course enrollment firms up, we will vote one more time to find the most convenient time.

Announcements For ME/CS 132(a,b)

• 05/15/17: Bookings for hardware to use in the final project can be made here, with descriptions on how to bring up the Parrot SLAM Dunk and TurtleBot
• 05/12/17: The class lecture is CANCELLED today. Class will resume on Monday as scheduled
• 05/10/17: The Final Project Guidelines are available.
• 05/01/17: Demo times for Lab 3 are available here
• 04/26/17: CLASS IS CANCELLED TODAY. We will have the regularly scheduled class on Friday.
• 04/19/17: Lab 1b is available below, with demo times available here
• 04/10/17: Lab 1a is available below, with demo times available here
• 03/15/17: The Final Exam is available. Directions are on the front page.
• 03/01/17: Homework 4 (last homework) deadline pushed to Friday March 10th to allow time for report writing after second hardware demos conclude Thursday
• 02/28/17: Homework 4 deadline pushed to Wendesday March 8th, scheduling for 1st hardware demo sent in email
• 02/22/17: Final Project Guidelines are available
• 02/13/17: Office Hours for Homework #3 will be held 6-7 pm on Wed., Feb 15 in 220 SFL, and 4:00-5:30 pm on Thurs., Feb 16 in 231 SFL
• 02/01/17: Office Hours for Homework #2 will be held 7:30-9:00 pm on Thurs., Feb. 1 in 135 Gates-Thomas
• 01/22/17: Office Hours for Hmmeowrk #1 will be held 8-10 pm on Sunday, Jan. 22 in 135 Gates-THomas.
• 01/05/17: The meeting time and place have been set for the class lectures.
• 01/04/17: The permanent lecture hours and location will be determined at the course organizational meeting.

Course Text and References

1) The main text for the first half of the course is:

• Planning Algorithms by Steve LaValle (UIUC).

You can buy this book on-line at Amazon. A preprint of the text is available freely on-line, and is adequate for all course activities.

2) The following book is recommended (but not required):

• Principles of Robot Motion: Theory, Algorithms, and Implementations, by Howie Choset, Kevin Lynch, Seth Hutchinson, George Kantor, Wolfram Burgard, Lydia Kavraki, and Sebastian Thrun.

This text is available at Amazon in both new and used versions.

3) Interested students may wish to also consult the following classic (but now out-of-print) text on motion planning: Robot Motion Planning by J.C. Latombe. A copy is available in the Caltech library.

Course Lecture Schedule for ME/CS 132(b)

Course Lecture Schedule for ME/CS 132(a)

Course Mechanics, Grading, and Collaboration Policy

Grading

The final grade will be based on homework sets, and a final exam or final project:

• Homework (70%): Homework sets will be handed out every 7-10 days, and are due at 5 pm on the due date (which will always coincide with a class meeting). Homeworks can be dropped off in class, or deposited in the box outside of 245 Gates-Thomas. Some homeworks will require computation. MATLAB or Mathematica should be sufficient to solve every homework posed in this course, though students can choose their favorite programming language. Code is considered part of your solution and should be included in with the problem set when appropriate.

• Final exam/project (30%): Students have the option to take a final exam (a limited time take-home format exam which is open book, open note, and computer allowed) or select a final project. The final project must incorporate some aspect of the course, and the topic and scope my be approved by the course instructor. The final exam will due at 5:00 pm the last day of finals. The final project is similarly due at 5:00 pm on the last day of finals.

• Late Homework Policy: Students may automatically take a 2-day extension on two homeworks during each quarter.

Collaboration Policy

Collaboration on homework assignments is encouraged. You may consult outside reference materials, other students, the TA, or the instructor, but you must cite any use of material from outside references. All solutions that are handed in should be written up individually and should reflect your own understanding of the subject matter. Computer code and graphical plots are considered part of your solution, and therefore should be done individually (you can share ideas, but not code). No collaboration is allowed on the examinations.