Introduction to Robotics

Enrollment Requirements: Undergraduate Prerequisite: ENGBE 403 or ENGEC 327 or ENGEC 401 or ENGME 302 The term robot was first used by a Czech playwriter in 1920, but the fascination of humans with machines that can sense, process and act in their physical environment was there since ancient civilization. Today the convergence of relatively cheap but powerful hardware with many years of research makes possible to (almost) build robots in different shapes and for a variety of applications: industrial robots, vacuum cleaners, delivery drones, self-driving cars, etc. While this is an active field of research, the basic building blocks for a robot (modeling, control, perception, mapping and planning) are well understood. Through both theory and practice, in this class you will learn these basics, and build a simple but complete system that will compete with the creations of your peers.