CS 154 Syllabus, Spring 2003

Computer Science 154
Robotics
Overview/Syllabus, Fall 2003

General Information

Instructor: Zachary Dodds
Office: Olin 1265
Phone: x78990 (909-607-8990)
E-mail: dodds@cs.hmc.edu
Official Office Hours: MW 4:15-5:30
Real Office Hours: Anytime

Class Time and Place:

Mon and Wed 11:00-12:15, Pryne

Course Homepage: http://www.cs.hmc.edu/courses/2003/spring/cs154/index.html

Is This Course for You?

Yes! To handle the programming components of the course, CS70 is a prerequisite and CS110 would be helpful (C++ & systems); even more important is the ability to learn new APIs quickly, since these appear all over the place in robotics. The underlying theory will use linear algebra, differential equations, probability theory, and statistics.

What Is This Course About?

The goal is to provide a hands-on introduction to robotics. Robotics is the study of computational interaction with the physical environment, and this course looks at the actuators (motors), sensing (vision, sonar, IR, ...), and reasoning (system architecture and planning) that defines that interaction. We will look at some of the theoretical tools and algoithms that support robotics, e.g., control, kinematic modeling, configuration space, and probabilistic data analysis. The lab component of the course is an opportunity to apply those tools in a way that suits a number of different interests, both on real systems and in simulation.

Optional Text

Computational Principles of Mobile Robotics by Dudek and Jenkin. This is a very nice overview of the field from a CS point of view. It's available for $32.95 (in paperback) at Amazon.com here.
There are (or will be) a number of required papers linked from the assignment page (below). Robotics is not a mature subfield of computer science (I would say that this is a good thing!) -- as a result, fundamental results and principles are still being developed. These papers will provide snapshots of this ongoing work, as well as some classic breakthroughs.

Assignments and Grades

Collaboration Policy - Honor Code

All conduct in this course should be conducted in accordance with the Harvey Mudd Honor Code. In particular, the projects in CS154 offer the opportunity to work with one or two other students. It is important that that work truly be a product of all of those participants. Also, while discussion about problems or projects is welcome outside of a lab group, you may not share (give or receive) work with other groups or others outside the class. Of course, you may use the assistance of the instructor and grader/tutors (if there are any).

If you have any doubts about whether a form of interaction constitutes a violation of this standard, it is incumbent upon you to ask the instructor prior to the issue.

Computer Science 154 Robotics Overview/Syllabus, Fall 2003