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ECE 780

Special Topics in Control

Graduate

Spring 2026 · Digital Control Systems

Readings

  • Course notes will be available on the course website. Additional references can be found in the library.
    unspecified
Fall 2026 · Robot Learning (Topic 13)

Topics

  • Foundations of robot learning
  • Generative models: autoregressive, variational, diffusion and flow models
  • Imitation learning and behavioural cloning
  • Robot transformers and vision-language-action models
  • Q-learning and policy gradients
  • Model-predictive control
  • Adaptation and fine-tuning
  • World models and spatial representations
  • Multi-agent learning
  • Uncertainty quantification and safety

Readings

  • Reinforcement Learning: An Introduction
    Richard S. Sutton and Andrew G. Barto · 2nd · unspecified
    MIT Press, 2018; general reference.
  • Deep Learning
    Ian Goodfellow, Yoshua Bengio and Aaron Courville · unspecified
    MIT Press, 2016; general reference.
  • No required textbook. Lecture slides and relevant peer-reviewed papers are posted on the course webpage.
    unspecified
Spring 2025 · T3 Robot Dynamics and Control

Topics

  • Dynamics and control of manipulators
  • Kinematics and control of mobile robots
  • Optimization-based robot control
  • Implementation and experiments with robotic arms and mobile manipulators

Readings

  • Robot Modeling and Control
    Mark Spong, Seth Hutchinson and Mathukumalli Vidyasagar · unspecified
    Wiley, 2020; course textbook.
  • Robotics: Modelling, Planning and Control
    Bruno Siciliano, Lorenzo Sciavicco, Luigi Villani and Giuseppe Oriolo · unspecified
    Springer, 2009; used for parts of course.
  • Convex Optimization
    Stephen Boyd and Lieven Vandenberghe · unspecified
    Cambridge, 2004; used for parts of course.
  • Robot Ecology: Constraint-Based Design for Long-Duration Autonomy
    Magnus Egerstedt · unspecified
    Princeton, 2021; used for parts of course.
  • Additional readings provided as appropriate.
    unspecified
Spring 2025 · 1 Sampled Data Control Systems

Readings

  • Digital Control System Analysis and Design
    Charles L. Phillips, H. Troy Nagle and Aranya Chakrabortty · recommended
    Pearson, 2015.
  • Feedback Control of Dynamic Systems
    Gene F. Franklin, J. David Powell and Abbas F. Emami-Naeini · recommended
    Pearson, 2019.
  • Reinforcement Learning and Optimal Control
    Dimitri P. Bertsekas · recommended
    Athena Scientific, 2019.
Spring 2023 · Model Predictive Control

Readings

  • Predictive Control for Linear and Hybrid Systems
    unspecified
Spring 2023 · Robot Dynamics and Control

Readings

  • Robot Modeling and Control
    Mark Spong, Seth Hutchinson and Mathukumalli Vidyasagar · unspecified
    Wiley, 2020; used for parts of the course; no required textbook.
  • Robotics: Modelling, Planning and Control
    Bruno Siciliano, Lorenzo Sciavicco, Luigi Villani and Giuseppe Oriolo · unspecified
    Springer, 2009; used for parts of the course.
  • Convex Optimization
    Stephen Boyd and Lieven Vandenberghe · unspecified
    Cambridge, 2004; used for parts of the course.
  • Robot Ecology: Constraint-Based Design for Long-Duration Autonomy
    Magnus Egerstedt · unspecified
    Princeton, 2021; used for parts of the course.
Spring 2017 · Topic 8 - Spring 2017

Readings

  • Steven M. LaValle, Planning Algorithms, Cambridge University Press, 2006.
    unspecified
  • Francesco Bullo, Jorge Cortés, and Sonia Martínez, Distributed Control of Robotic Networks, Princeton University Press, 2009.
    unspecified
  • There is no required textbook. Course notes will be available and will contain all material. The following two texts will be used for parts of the course.
    unspecified
Sources