ME 448 Flexible Automation and Robotics

Fall 2009
Prof. Kevin Lynch
MW 2:00-3:20, Tech L158

Final Exam: Wed Dec 9, 9-11 AM

Overview

This course is a reading course to introduce you to a number of areas in robotics, and to help you become comfortable reading and analyzing research papers. Each week we will read one paper and discuss it as a group. Before the discussion, I will give one lecture on the topic of the paper for background. For each paper, I will pose problems for you to answer based on the topics of the paper. These problems will be collected but not graded, and will serve as study material for quizzes.

This course is designed primarily for new Ph.D. students and students who will be undertaking research in robotics. Students should have background in dynamics, and some control theory could be helpful. Papers are chosen because of their importance to the field, but also to be challenging and to stretch you beyond your comfort zone. The papers may be difficult to understand on first reading, and may require concepts that are unfamiliar to you. This is the usual case when you are studying literature for your research. Understanding the paper will likely require discussion with your classmates, re-reading the paper, working through the problems, and perhaps consulting outside sources.

Grading

For each paper, two students will prepare a brief presentation and initiate the discussion of the paper. These students will also prepare solutions to the study problems, for posting. Grades will be based on the paper summaries, solutions, and leading of the discussion; participation in discussions; and performance on the quizzes. Three quizzes are likely, one during finals week.

Papers

The schedule below is approximate and may slip. Papers may change. Papers will usually be discussed on Wednesdays of the week indicated.

9/28 Robot Dynamics and Time-Optimal Control
J. E. Bobrow, S. Dubowsky, and J. S. Gibson, "Time-optimal control of robotic manipulators along specified paths," International Journal of Robotics Research, 4(3):3-17, 1985. (Problem solutions by E. Schearer, J. Cerundolo)

10/5 Legged Locomotion I
G. C. Haynes and A. A. Rizzi, "Gait regulation and feedback on a robotic climbing hexapod," 2006: Robotics Science and Systems. (Problems, Problem solutions by A. Long, N. Rosa)

10/12 Legged Locomotion II
M. Garcia, A. Chatterjee, A. Ruina, and M. Coleman, "The simplest walking model: stability, complexity, and scaling," ASME Journal of Biomechanical Engineering, 120:281-288, 1998. (Problems, Problem solutions by J. Schroeder, D. Quintero, my solutions to problems 1 and 3)

10/19 Review and Quiz

10/26 Manipulation
D. Stewart and J. C. Trinkle, "An implicit time-stepping scheme for rigid body dynamics with Coulomb friction," IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation, 2000. (Problems, Problem solutions by K. Koch, J. Ramsley)

11/2 Motion Planning
S. M. LaValle and J. J. Kuffner, Jr., "Randomized kinodynamic planning," International Journal of Robotics Research, 20(5):378-400, 2001. (Problems, Problem solutions by P. Dames, B. Regan)

11/9 Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (SLAM)
M. W. M. Gamini Dissanayake, P. Newman, S. Clark, H. F. Durrant-Whyte, and M. Csorba, "A solution to the simultaneous localization and map building (SLAM) problem," IEEE Transactions on Robotics and Automation, 17(3):229-241, 2001. (Problems, Problem solutions by M. Bootwala, T. Liang)

11/16 Quiz

11/16 Robot Swarms (discussion on 11/18)
H. G. Tanner, A. Jadbabaie, and G. J. Pappas, "Flocking in fixed and switching networks," IEEE Transactions on Automatic Control, 52(5):863-8, May 2007. (Problems, Problem solutions by Y-W. Liao, C. Scovil)

11/23 Perception and Haptics (discussion on 11/23)
M. O. Ernst and M. S. Banks, "Humans integrate visual and haptic information in a statistically optimal fashion," Nature, 415:429-433, January 2002. (Problems)

11/30 Optimal Control (discussion on 12/2)
O. Junge, J. E. Marsden, and S. Ober-Blobaum, "Discrete mechanics and optimal control," IFAC World Congress 2005.

Last modified: Fri Nov 20 15:21:45 CST 2009