CDA 4625 - U01 Introduction to Mobile Robotics
Spring 2022 Tu-Th 2:00PM - 3:15PM

Instructor:
Leonardo Bobadilla
Assistant Professor
bobadillacs.fiu.edu
Office:ECS 212b
Phone: 305-348-7565
Office Hours:
Tuesday 3:30pm-4:30 pm in my office and Fridays 5-6pm on Zoom or by appointment

Course Description and Goals

Robotics is one of the fastest growing industries in US and worldwide. In particular, mobile robots have found applications in diverse areas such as homes, manufacturing, agriculture, construction, and medicine. Robotics applications will open new job markets and are expected to add substantially to the American economy in the coming years. Major computing companies such as Microsoft, Google, and Amazon have recently acquired robotics companies.

Students taking this class will benefit from mastering the basic aspects of robotics and from obtaining an overview of the field. The course will initially cover domains, applications, and problems in mobile robotics. Second, it will address basic aspects of robotics such as locomotion and mobile robot kinematics. After basic aspects of sensing and computer vision are introduced, fundamental tasks in robotics are explained: Mapping, Localization, Planning and Navigation. Practical assignments will allow students to program different aerial, mobile, and manipulator robots.

Prerequisites

COP 3530 and STA 3033 or permission of the instructor.

Textbooks and Materials

We will use these books:

Required Textbooks: Introduction to Autonomous Mobile Robots (second edition), Nikolaus Correll. Magellan Scientific, 2020. ISBN-13: 978-0692700877 ISBN-10: 0692700870

Introduction to Autonomous Mobile Robots (second edition), Roland Siegwart, Illah R. Nourbakhsh and Davide Scaramuzza. Bradford Books, 2011. ISBN: 0262015358

Course Outline

  • Introduction: Types of mobile robots and problems in mobile robotics
  • Locomotion: Wheeled mobile robots, aerial mobile robots, motion control
  • Planning and Navigation: path planning, navigation architectures
  • Perception: Sensors for mobile robots, computer vision, feature extraction
  • Grasping
  • Mobile robot localization and mapping

Grading

Homeworks will be a combination of written, programming, and practical assignments. There will be four to five homeworks assignments during the semester. Homeworks will be done in groups of 3. There is a final project. In addition, occasional quizzes may be given in class. You should read the corresponding sections on the book and be able to actively participate in class discussions. There will be one midterm exam. You will be responsible for all material covered in lectures, homeworks, and assigned readings. The various components of the course will be weighted as follows:

Homework assignments & Labs 45%
Final class project 35% (see details below)
Midterm 15%
Quizzes and class participation 5%

Final class project

In groups of 3, students will work on a final project with a significant. The project can be theoretical, software-based, experimental, or a detailed critical survey on an specific topic. Students should choose their own project, ideally related to their interests. The project will have the following milestones:
  • Week 5. Project proposal: A one page document describing what you intend to do and your goals. Please arrange a meeting with me to talk about the project well in advanced.
  • Week 10. Midterm progress: A short (up to four pages) report describing the progress so far and the challenges encountered. This will provide a chance to revisit your project proposal.
  • Week 15. Project Presentation. A 10 minutes talk about the project.
  • Final Week. Final Report. A document (up to six pages) using the IEEE conference format presenting the final results of the project.

Policies on Assignments and Exams

All project deliverables and assignments should be submitted before midnight on the due date. The only excuse for missing an exam is verifiable cases of illness and emergencies and religious holidays. Please check the dates for exams and inform me at the earliest of any conflict due to the above-mentioned reasons.

Code of Academic Integrity:

University Policies:

For academic misconduct, sexual harassment, religious holidays, and information on services for students with disabilities, see :

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