ME CDS EE 234
From Robotics
This is the homepage for ME/CDS/EE 234(a,b) (Advanced Robotics) for Winter/Spring 2021/2022.
Course Staff, Hours, Location
| Position | Name | Office | Office Hours (changing weekly) | Phone | |
| Instructor | Joel Burdick | 245 Gates-Thomas | send mail for an appointment | jwb at robotics dot caltech dot edu | 626-395-4139 |
| Teaching Asst. | Anushri Dixit | 205 Gates-Thomas | TBD | adixit at caltech dot edu | 626-395-???? |
| Administrative | Sonya Lincoln | 250 Gates-Thomas | 7:30am-noon; 1:00pm-4:30pm | lincolns at caltech dot edu | 626-395-3385 |
- Lecture Schedule: TBD
Announcements For ME/CDS/EE 234(a)
- 01/04/22: An Overview of the course was discussed in class.
Course Text and References
ME/CDS/EE 234(a): The first quarter will use two main text books:
- R.M. Murray, Z. Li, and S. Sastry, A Mathematical Introduction to Robotic Manipulation, CR Press, 1994.
- The 1st edition of this book used to be available on-line, and is perfectly adequate for the course. Select chapters will be made available to
- We will refer to this text as MLS (the initials of the authors last names). While the course topics will follow the text subjects, additional material not in the text will often be presented in class and via additional handouts (that will be posted on this website)
- E. Rimon and J.W. Burdick, "The Mechanics of Robot Grasping", Univ. of Cambridge Press, 2019
- You DO NOT need to buy this book. By special agreement with the publishers, appropriate sections of this text will be distributed to class members for free.
Course Description
ME/CDS/EE 234(a) is devoted to an advanced treatment of robot kinematics. We will review rigid body kinematics, with an emphasis on a Lie-algebraic framework. Then the basic robot mechanisms are analyzed using these methods. The second half of the quarter will introduce the kinematics of robotic grasping and manipulation.
ME/CDS/EE 234(b) is devoted to robotic motion planning. The first half of the quarter will summarize several frameworks and algorithms for robotic motion planning, with an emphasis on incorporating uncertainty into the motion planning process. The second half of the quarter will take a deep dive into one particular motion planning problem: sensory robotic coverage planning. In sensory coverage planning, a robot must plan its motions so that its onboard sensors cover every point in a given environment, at least once.
Prerequisites: ME 133(a,b) or equivalent.
An overview of the course, including course mechanics, grading, etc. The most salient information is repeated below.
Grading
The final grade will be based on homework sets, and a final exam or final project. Covid permitting, we aim to have a few laboratory experiments, whose grades will be weighted as two homework exercises.
- 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 (when in-person classes resume), or delivered to room 250 of Gates-Thomas (the office of Sonya Lincoln). 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 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.
Course Schedule for ME115(b)
| Week | Date | Topic | Reading | Optional Reading | Homework |
| 1 |
From Manipulator Singularities to Closed Loop Mechanisms | ||||
| 28 March (M) | Manipulator Singularities (concluded) Intro to Closed Loop Mechanisms |
-N/A- | -N/A- | Homework 1 Solution 1 | |
| 30 March (W) | Closed Loop Linkages: Structure Equations & Mobility | Murray, Li Sastry (MLS), Section 3.4 | -N/A- | ||
| 1 April (F) | Closed Loop Linkages: Special Configurations | Murray, Li Sastry (MLS), Section 3.4 | -N/A- | ||
| 2 |
Closed Loop Mechanisms and Parallel Mechanisms | ||||
| 4 April (M) | Closed Loop Linkages: Multi-Loop Linkages | MLS, Section 3.5 | -N/A- | -No Homework- | |
| 6 April (W) | Intro to Parallel Linkages | -N/A- | -N/A- | ||
| 8 April (F) | Parallel Mechanisms: structure Equations and Singularities | MLS Section 3.5 | |||
| 3 |
Parallel Mechanisms to Redundant manipulators | ||||
| 11 April (M) | The Delta Mechanism | Paper on Delta Kinematics | History of Delta Mechanism; Singularities of Delta Mechanisms; | Homework 2 Solution #2 | |
| 13 April (W) | Redundant Mechanisms and PseudoInverse | -N/A- | |||
| 15 April (F) | Redundancy resolution and trajectory planning | Notes on the Moore-Penrose Pseudo Inverse | -N/A- | ||
| 4 |
From Redundant Manipulators to Grasping | ||||
| 18 April (M) | The Moore-Penrose Pseudo Inverse and SVD | MLS Chapt 3, Section 5.1 | |||
| 20 April (W) | Redundancy Resolution and Obstacle Avoidance Example Intro to Grasping |
MLS Chapt 3, Section 5.1 | Maciejewski & Klein | ||
| 22 April (F) | Contact Models | Section 5.2 of the MLS Text | -N/A- | ||
| 5 |
Force Closure Grasps | ||||
| 25 April (M) | Finger Contact Models | Section 2.1 of MLS Chapter5 | -N/A- | Homework 3 Solution 3 | |
| 27 April (W) | The Grasp Map Secure Multi-Fingered Grasps |
Section 2.2 of MLS Chapter 5 | N/A- | ||
| 29 April (F) | Force Closure (continued) | Section 5.3, 5.4 of the MLS Text | -N/A- | ||
| 6 |
Force Closure Grasps | ||||
| 2 May (M) | Frictionless Force Closure | -N/A- | -N/A- | Homework 4; Solution 4 | |
| 4 May (W) | Force Closure and Internal Forces | -N/A- | -N/A- | ||
| 6 May (F) | Number of required fingers | Section 5.4 of the MLS Text | -N/A- | ||
| 7 |
Yet more Robotic Grasping | ||||
| 9 May (M) | Number of fingers needed to grasp an object | Section 5.4 of MLS Text | -N/A- | Homework 5; Solution 5 | |
| 11 May (W) | Grasp Planning/Hand Kinematics | Section 5.5 of MLS Text | -N/A- | ||
| 13 May (F) | Hand Kinematics | Section 5.5 of the MLS Text | -N/A- | ||
| 8 |
Yet more Robotic Grasping | ||||
| 16 May (M) | Differential Geometry of Curves | Section 5.6 of MLS text Notes on the Differential Geometry of Curves |
-N/A- | Homework #6 | |
| 18 May (W) | Planar Contact Equations | Section 5.6 of MLS Text Notes on the Planar Contact Equations |
-N/A- | ||
| 20 May (F) | No Class due to travel | -N/A- | -N/A- | ||
| 9 |
Miscellaneous | ||||
| 23 May (M) | Review of planar contact equations Grasp Equations with non-point fingers |
Chapter 5 of MLS | |||
| 25 May (W) | Gears,Quasistatic Locomotion | Slides on Gears | -N/A- | ||
| 27 May (F) | No Class (travel) | -N/A- | -N/A- | ||
| 10 |
Miscellaneous | ||||
| 30 May (M) | Institute Holiday | ||||
| 1 June (W) | Quasistatic Locomotion and Whole Body Manipulation | Slides on Whole Body Manipulation | -N/A- | ||
Course Schedule for ME115(a)
| Week | Date | Topic | Reading | Optional Reading | Homework |
| 1 |
Introduction and Review of Rigid Body Kinematics | ||||
| 4 Jan (Mon.) | Class Overview | Course Overview, Chapter 1 of MLS |
History of Kinematics Through 1900 (Introductory chapter from Kinematic Synthesis of Linkages) | -No Homework- | |
| 6 Jan (W) | Planar Rigid Body Kinematics, Planar displacements |
MLS Ch 2.1, Pages 19-23 | -N/A- | ||
| 8 Jan (F) | Planar Rigid Body Displacements (continued), Displacement groups |
MLS Ch 2.1, | -N/A- | ||
| 2 |
From Planar Rigid Body Kinematics to Spherical Kinematics | ||||
| 11 Jan (M) | Displacement groups, poles Planar Displacements (PowerPoint) |
-N/A- | Homework 1, Solution 1 | ||
| 13 Jan (W) | Centrodes: Ellliptical Trammel, Trammel, V 1, V 2, compliation Intro to Spherical Kinematics |
MLS Pages 22-26, Notes on the Elliptical Trammel, |
Archemides Trammel (Wikipedia) Polyhedral Linkages Synthesized Using Cardan Motion Along Radial Lines |
||
| 15 Jan (F) | Spherical Kinematics (continued), Classical Matrix Groups |
MLS Ch 2.2, 2.3, Notes on the Classical Matrix Groups |
-N/A- | ||
| 3 |
Spherical Kinematics | ||||
| 18 Jan (M) | No Class: Marin Luther King Holiday | -N/A- | -N/A- | No Homework | |
| 20 Jan (W) | Cayley's Theorem, |
MLS 27-31, Notes on Rotations |
-N/A- | ||
| 22 Jan (F) | No Class | MLS 31-34 | -N/A- | ||
| 4 |
Spherical Kinematics (continued) | ||||
| 25 Jan (M) | Angle/Axis Representation and Rodriguez Formula | MLS 34-39 | Notes on Algebras | -N/A- | |
| 27 Jan (W) | No Class | -N/A- | -N/A- | ||
| 29 Jan (W) | No Class | -N/A- | -N/A- | ||
| 5 |
Spatial Kinematics | ||||
| 1 Feb (M) | No Class | -N/A- | -N/A- | Homework 2, Solution 2 | |
| 3 Feb (W) | Exponential Coordinates and Euler Angles | MLS Ch 2.2, 2.3 | -N/A- | ||
| 5 Feb (F) | Quaternions | MLS Pages 51-52 | -N/A- | ||
| 6 |
Spatial Kinematics (continued) | ||||
| 8 Feb (M) | Quaternions (continued), Intro to Spatial Kinematics |
MLS 34-39 | Notes on Algebras | Homework 3, Solution 3 | |
| 8 Feb (M) | Spatial Displacments, Chasle's Theorem, Exponential Coordinates |
MLS Pages 35-50 | -N/A- | ||
| 10 Feb (W) | Motion Capture Rigid Body Velocities |
MLS Pages 51-61; Rodriguez' Displacement Equation; | -N/A- | ||
| 12 Feb (F) | No Class | -N/A- | -N/A-
| ||
| 7 |
Spatial Kinematics: Velocities and Wrenches | ||||
| 15 Feb (M) | No Class: President's Day Holiday | MLS Ch 2.3; | -N/A- | Homework 4, Solution 4 | |
| 17 Feb (W) | Rigid Body Velocities (continued) | MLS Ch 2.3 | -N/A- | ||
| 19 Feb(F) | Transformation of Velocities Wrenches and Poinsot's Theorem |
MLS Ch 2.4-2.5 | -N/A- | ||
| 8 |
Robot Manipulators | ||||
| 22 Feb (M) | Wrenches (continued), Screw Theory |
-N/A- | -N/A- | No Homework | |
| 22 Feb (M) | Robot Manipulators: Introduction | MLS Chapter 3, pages 81-94 | -N/A- | ||
| 23 Feb (W) | Denavit Hartenberg Convention | MLS Chapter 3, pages 81-94 | -N/A- | ||
| 25 Feb(F) | Forward Kinematics via the Denavit-Hartenberg Convention | MLS Ch 3, | DH-Parameters (from Wikipedia), Scan from Craig Book on D-H Parameters | ||
| 9 |
Forward/Inverse Kinematics | ||||
| 29 Feb (M) | Denavit-Hartenberg Convention (continued), Examples | MLS Ch 3; Rodriguez' Displacement Equation; | -N/A- | Homework 5, Solution 5 | |
| 2 Mar (W) | Product of Exponentials Formula | MLS Ch 3 | -N/A- | ||
| 4 Mar(F) | Inverse Kinematics | MLS Ch 3 | -N/A- | ||
| 10 |
Jacobian Matrix and Singularities | ||||
| 7 Mar (M) | Manipulator Jacobian Matrices | MLS Ch 3, pages 115-120; | -N/A- | Optional Homework 6 | |
| 7 Mar (M) | Jacobian Matrix (continued), End-effector forces | MLS Ch 3, 121-123; | -N/A- | ||
| 9 Mar (W) | Manipulator Singularities | MLS Ch 3, pp 123-127 | -N/A- | ||
