Courses in Robotics

  • University of Southern California
    • CSCI 445 - Introduction to Robotics ★
      • Description: Designing, building and programming mobile robots; sensors, effectors, basic control theory, control architectures, some advanced topics, illustrations of state-of-the-art. Teamwork; final project tested in a robot contest.
      • Primary Text:
        • The Robotics Primer by Maja J Matarić
        • Robotic Explorations: An Introduction to Engineering Through Design by F. Martin
      • Background Reading:
        • Vehicles: Experiments in Synthetic Psychology by Valentino Braitenberg
        • Artificial Intelligence: A Modern Approach by S. Russell and P. Norvig
      • Project:
        • Lego Mindstorms and Handy Board based labs
        • 2006 final project — multiple robots built by a single team coordinate to clear bean bag "victims" from a disaster scene. Certain tasks require explicit collaboration to complete.
      • Notes:
    • CSCI 545 - Robotics
      • Description: Fundamental skills for modeling and controlling of dynamic systems for robotic applications and graphics animations; control theory; kinematics; dynamics; sensor processing; real-time operating systems; robot labs.
      • Notes: None of the links work on this page apparently designed in Paint.
    • CSCI 584 - Control and Learning in Mobile Robots and Multi-Robot Systems
      • Description: Survey of robot control and learning methods from technical papers. Control architectures, adaptation, learning, cooperation, distributed vs. centralized approaches, cooperative and competitive systems.
      • Notes: This was the course Sandy suggested for an introduction into the field of robotic motion
  • Massachusetts Institute of Technology
    • 6.01 - Introduction to EECS I
      • Description: An integrated introduction to electrical engineering and computer science, taught using substantial laboratory experiments with mobile robots. Key issues in the design of engineered artifacts operating in the natural world: measuring and modeling system behaviors; assessing errors in sensors and effectors; specifying tasks; designing solutions based on analytical and computational models; planning, executing, and evaluating experimental tests of performance; refining models and designs. Issues addressed in the context of computer programs, control systems, probabilistic inference problems, circuits and transducers, which all play important roles in achieving robust operation of a large variety of engineered systems.
      • Notes: This is a new course and there's not a lot of information. There are pictures of Pioneers and the programming is in Python.
    • 6.141J - Robotics: Science and Systems I ★
      • Description: Presents concepts, principles, and algorithms for computation and action in the physical world. Topics covered are: motion planning; geometric reasoning; kinematics and dynamics; state estimation; tracking; map building; manipulation; human-robot interaction; fault diagnosis; and embedded system development. Students specify and design a small scale yet complex robot capable of real time interaction with the natural world.
      • Primary Textbook:
        • Introduction to Autonomous Mobile Robots (Intelligent Robotics and Autonomous Agents) by Roland Siegwart, Illah R. Nourbakhsh
      • Recommended Texts:
        • Robot Motion Planning by Latombe, Kluwer Academic Publishers.
        • Mobile Robots, Inspiration to Implementation by Jones & Flynn, A. K. Peters.
        • Artificial Intelligence, A Modern Approach by Russel & Norvig, Prentice Hall.
        • Behavior-Based Robotics by Arkin, MIT Press, 1998.
        • Robotic Explorations by Martin, Prentice Hall.
        • Computational Principles of Mobile Robotics by Dudek & Jekin.
      • Project: Teams build a robot capable of exploring an environment and constructing a rudimentary shelter. Learning labs and final robot based around the ORCBoard (which must be assembled from a set of parts).

      • Notes:

        Topics include: motion planning, geometric reasoning, kinematics and dynamics, state estimation, tracking, map building, manipulation, human-robot interaction, fault diagnosis and embedded system development.

        A system is designed and implemented in the next course.

        One of the course components is a series of debates. Students must pick a position on a controversial topic in robotics, write a persuasive essay on the topic and present a structured argument in class.

  • Carnegie Mellon University
    • 16-221 - Robots to the Rescue: A Gentle Introduction to Mobile Robotics ★
      • Description: This course has been designing to teach the basic tools and processes of engineering and programming a mobile robot. Student teams will build an autonomous mobile robot (from kits that will be provided), and learn to program it to perform increasingly sophisticated behaviors. Besides providing an introduction to autonomous mobile robot technologies, but the students also learn key concepts of mechanics, electronics, programming, and systems design and integration. Maybe most important, the students will be learn how to use the system for solving interesting and challenging problems in rescue robotics. taken for any number of units up to 9, depending upon the amount of work to be done.
      • Non-Required Textbook:
        • Introduction to Robotics by P. J. McKerrow, ISBN: 0201182408.
      • Recommended Texts:
        • Introduction to Robotics by John J. Craig, Addison-Wesley Publishing, Inc., 1989.
        • Machine Vision by D.H. Ballard and C.M. Brown, Prentice-Hall, 1982.
        • Robot Motion Planning by J.C. Latombe, Kluwer Academic Publishers, 1991.
      • Project: Mindstorms and Handy Board based lab projects developing a series of projects culminating in a robotic soccer competition.
      • Notes: Programming experience is "recommended." Videos from past iterations of lab give students an idea of the form their projects might take.
    • 16-311 - Introduction to Robotics ★
      • Description: This course presents an overview of robotics in practice and research with topics including vision, motion planning, mobile mechanisms, kinematics, inverse kinematics, and sensors. In course projects, students construct robots which are driven by a microcontroller, with each project reinforcing the basic principles developed in lectures. Students nominally work in teams of three: an electrical engineer, a mechanical engineer, and a computer scientist. This course will also expose students to some of the contemporary happenings in robotics, which includes current robot lab research, applications, robot contests and robots in the news.
      • Notes: Graduate section of 16-221.
  • Universitá di Napoli Federico II
    • Controllo Dei Robot
      • Notes: Taught by Bruno Siciliano, the head of the IEEE Robotics and Automation Society. Seems to be more mathematical that most courses. Also, in Italian.
  • University of Berkeley
    • C125 - Introduction to Robotics
      • Description: An introduction to the kinematics, dynamics, and control of robot manipulators, robotic vision, and sensing. The course covers forward and inverse kinematics of serial chain manipulators, the manipulator Jacobian, force relations, dynamics, and control. It presents elementary principles on proximity, tactile, and force sensing, vision sensors, camera calibration, stereo construction, and motion detection. The course concludes with current applications of robotics in active perception, medical robotics, and other areas.
      • Notes: Requires a signal processing class.
  • University of Minnesota
    • CSCI 5551 - Introduction to Intelligent Robotic Systems
      • Description: Transformations, kinematics/inverse kinematics, dynamics, control. Sensing (robot vision, force control, tactile sensing), applications of sensor-based robot control, robot programming, mobile robotics, microrobotics.
      • Text: J. Craig, "Introduction to Robotics: Mechanics and Control," Pearson Prentice Hall, NJ, 3rd edition, 2003 (ISBN: 0201543613)
      • Notes: Project may either be simulation, experimental or theoretical. Pioneers are available for experimental projects. Player/Stage is listed as a resource.
  • Johns Hopkins University
    • 600.336 - Algorithms for Sensor-Based Robotics ★
      • Description: This is an introductory course presenting a series of algorithms related to the representation and use of geometric models acquired from sensor data. Course topics include: basic sensing and estimation techniques, geometric model representations, and motion planning algorithms. The course will also discuss applications in diverse areas such as mobile systems, robot manipulation, and medicine.
      • Primary Textbook:
        • Principles of Robot Motion by Choset et. al., MIT Press, 2005.
      • Recommended Texts:
        • Computational Principles of Mobile Robotics by Dudek, Cambridge University Press.
        • Behavior-Based Robotics by Arkin, MIT Press.
        • Introduction to Autonomous Mobile Robots by Siegwart and Nourbakhsh, MIT Press.
      • Notes: Most of the courses seem centered around a focus on robot assisted surgery. There is no project, the grade is derived from homework and exams.
  • University of Pennsylvania
    • CIS 390 - Robotics ★
      • Description: Today's robots replace, assist, or entertain humans in many tasks. Recent examples of robots are planetary rovers, robot pets, medical surgical assistive devices, and semi-autonomous ground vehicles for search and rescue operations. The goal of this class is to introduce the students to the common kinematic and computational principles of the above examples and to provide them with hands-on experience with state of the art mobile robots and manipulators. The three main topics are coordinate system transformations and kinematics, visual sensing for localization, and computational geometry for motion planning. Laboratories involve building and programming Lego Mindstorms as well as using a manipulator and a haptic device.
      • Project: The course description mentions mindstorms, but the homepage and projects describes a robot based around the ICOP EBox minicomputer. There is no overarching project. Students do labs on the subjects of the EBox, vision and navigation.
      • Notes: This looks to be a fairly rigorous course judging by the homework assignments.
  • University of South Florida
    • CAP 4660 - AI Robotics
      • Description: Methods for mobile robots (ground/aerial/underwater). Understand:(1) 3 paradigms of AI robotics; (2) major ways to organize and combine behaviors in behavior-based systems; (3) major path planning; (4) simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM) algorithms.
      • Text: Introduction to AI Robotics by Robin Murphy, MIT Press.
      • Notes: Projects are either mentoring middle schools for the FIRST Robotics Lego League competition, or programming a simulation and the the RWI ATRV-Jr.
  • University of Missouri
    • CS 4730 - Building Intelligent Agents ★
      • Description: Introduction to the design and development of intelligent agents, particularly emphasizing topics related to sensor-based control of mobile agents. Includes sensor characterization, mechanics of mobile robot control, reactive behaviors, and intelligent control architectures.
      • Primary Textbook:
        • Introduction to Autonomous Mobile Robots by R. Siegwart, I.R. Nourbakhsh, MIT Press. 2004.
      • Recommended Texts:
        • Introduction to AI Roboticsby R.R. Murphy, MIT Press. 2001.
        • Robotic Explorations by Fred Martin, Prentice-Hall. 2001.
      • Projects: Mindstorm-based kit using Handy Board. There are three projects on: chassis with wheel encoders, sensor fusion and topological navigation.
      • Notes: Course goals begin with Braitenberg's vehicles.
  • Brown University
    • CSCI1480 - Building Intelligent Robots ★
      • Description: How do robots function autonomously in dynamic, unpredictable environments? This course focuses on programming mobile robots, such as the iRobot Roomba, to perceive and act autonomously in real-world environments. The major paradigms for autonomous control and robot perception are examined and compared with robotic notions in science fiction.
      • Primary Textbook:
        • How to Survive a Robot Uprising by Daniel Wilson, Bloomsbury USA. 2005.
      • Recommended Texts:
        • Behavior-Based Robotics by Arkin, MIT Press, Boston, 1998.
        • Principles of Robot Motion: Theory, Algorithms, and Implementations by Choset, Lynch, Hutchinson, Kantor, Burgard, Kavraki and Thrun, MIT Press, Boston. 2005.
        • Probabilistic Robotics by Thrun, Burgard, and Fox, MIT Press. 2005.
        • Robotic Explorations: A Hands-On Introduction to Engineering by Martin, Prentice-Hall. 2001.
        • Robot Modeling and Control by Spong, Hutchinson, and Vidyasagar, Wiley. 2005.
        • Introduction to Robotics: Mechanics and Control (3rd Edition) by Craig, Addison-Wesley. 1998.
        • Autonomous Robots: From Biological Inspiration to Implementation and Control by Bekey, MIT Press. 2005.
        • The Robotics Primer by Matarić, pending publication. 2004.
      • Projects: Player/Stage based control of SmURV robots playing soccer. A series of smaller simulation-based assignments build the competences necessary.
      • Notes:
  • Dartmouth
    • 54 - Principles of Robot Design and Programming
      • Description: This project course is a hand-on introduction to robotics. The course will introduce students to the basic concepts in robotics, focusing on the mechanics, and electronic principles behind building robots and on the classic algorithms, architectures, and theories behind controlling and programming robots. Topics include: basic mechanics, basic electronics, control architectures (planning, subsumptionism, and behavior-based robotics), configuration sensing, motion planning, uncertainty in robotics, map making, grasping, manipulation, shape and object recognition, distributed robotics, and applications of robotics. Students will build a robot in teams using a robot building kit. They will use this robot to implement the algorithms discussed in class in the context of a concrete task (for example, a robo-rat system for the foraging task).
      • Notes: Project is based off the construction of The Handy Car.
  • University of Massachusetts - Amherst
    • 403 - Introduction to Robotics: Mechanics, Dynamics, and Control ★
      • Description: This class covers theoretical and practical methods in the context of mobile robotics. These methods and concepts will tell you how robotic hardware works, how to make a robot move, how to localize in an unknown environment, how to build maps during exploration, and much more. The class focuses on lab exercises on real mobile robots but at the same time will cover in an applied fashion concepts from kinematics, dynamics, control, probability, motion planning, computer vision, and AI.
      • Projects: Uses AmigoBot.
      • Notes: Focuses on localization and vision. Nearly all the course information is password protected.
  • University of Massachusetts - Lowell
    • 91.110 - Interactive Robotics
      • Description: UML TEAMS Academy students will work with the iRobot Create, the C programming language, and various sensors to learn how to create and program robots to interact with the environment. Students will learn how to program and explore fundamentals of robotics control in a hands-on laboratory environment. Students will work through a series of laboratory experiments, will participate in class competitions, and will work in teams to design and build an open-ended final project.
      • Notes: Open only to high school students accepted to the UML TEAMS Academy.
    • 91.450 - Robotics I ★
      • Description: An introduction to robotics, including laboratory. In the lab, students build and program robots. Topics to be covered include sensors, locomotion, deliberative architectures, reactive architectures, and hybrid architectures.
      • Primary Textbook:
        • Behavior-Based Robotics by Ron Arkin, MIT Press. 1998.
        • Robotic Explorations by Fred G. Martin
      • Project: Based around playing BotBall using robots designed using the Blackfin Handy Board.
      • Notes: Unlike the MIT Handy Board (~$300) which is based on the Motorola HC11 and is frequently programmed using Interactive C, the Blackfin Handy Board (~$1000) is based on the Analog Blackfin ADSP-BF537 and is running LabVIEW Embedded. Fred Martin, the author of the text is the instructor for the course.
    • 91.451 - Robotics II ★
      • Description: Advanced topics in robotics, including laboratory. Topics to be covered include map making, path planning, computer vision and learning. Research-level robots are used in the laboratories.
      • Primary Textbook:
        • Behavior-Based Robotics by Ron Arkin, MIT Press. 1998.
      • Project: Two projects: the first to build a competitor for the Trinity College Fire-Fighting Home Robot Contest using a Blackfin Handy Board, the second to design a new home automation robot using Roomba.
  • George Mason University
    • CS 685 - Intelligent Systems for Robots ★
      • Description: Reviews developments in intelligent autonomous systems. Studies applications of artificial intelligence, computer vision, and machine learning to robotics. Topics include analysis and design of algorithms and architectures for planning, navigation, sensory data understanding, sensor fusion, spatial reasoning, motion control, knowledge acquisition, learning concepts and procedures, self-organization, and adaptation to environment.
      • Primary Textbook:
        • Introduction to Autonomous Mobile Robots by R. Siegwart, I.R. Nourbakhsh, MIT Press. 2004.
      • Project: Uses the Nomad 200 driven by Nomadic. Projects selection is based on selected readings and student preferences.
      • Notes:
  • Georgia Institute of Technology
    • CS 3630 - Introduction to Perception & Robotics ★
      • Description: The course covers the fundamental problems and the leading solutions for computer and robot perception and action selection. Topics are approached primarily from the point of view of autonomous robot navigation — what and how must a robot perceive the world, and how can it use that information to navigate effectively? The course includes a series of challenging programming projects using an advanced mobile robot simulation system.
      • Primary Textbook:
        • Introduction to Autonomous Mobile Robots by R. Siegwart, I.R. Nourbakhsh, MIT Press. 2004.
      • Project: Based around Player/Stage. From the project descriptions is seems as though no actual robots are employed, just simulated ones.
      • Notes:
  • Texas A&M University
    • CPSC 452 - Robotics and Spatial Intelligence ★
      • Description: Algorithms for executing spatial tasks; path planning and obstacle avoidance in two- and three-dimensional robots — configuration space, potential field, free-space decomposition methods; stable grasping and manipulation; dealing with uncertainty; knowledge representation for planning — geometric and symbolic models of the environment; task-level programming; learning.
      • Project: Based on custom programming environments to show kinematics, and final projects involve custom programming of simulations.
      • Notes:
  • University of Michigan
    • EECS 567 - Introduction to Robotics: Theory and Practice
      • Description: Introduction to robots considered as electro-mechanical computational systems performing work on the physical world. Data structures representing kinematics and dynamics of rigid body motions and forces and controllers for achieving them. Emphasis on building and programming real robotic systems and on representing the work they are to perform.
      • Notes: Can't find webpage. Not linked from the professor, Dawn Tilbury's page.
  • University of Washington
    • CSE 571 - AI-based Mobile Robotics
      • Description: Overview of mobile robot control and sensing. Behavior-based control, world modeling, localization, navigation, and planning Probabilistic sensor interpretation, Bayers filters, particle filters. Projects: Program real robots to perform navigation tasks.
      • Notes: This class has gone through several revisions: Probabilistic Robotics (2007), Mobile Robotics (2005), & AI-based Mobile Robotics (2003).
  • New York University
      • Description:
      • Notes: No Computer Science course descriptions contain the word "robot."
  • Stanford
    • CS223A - Introduction to Robotics
      • Description: The purpose of this course is to introduce you to basics of modeling, design, planning, and control of robot systems. In essence, the material treated in this course is a brief survey of relevant results from geometry, kinematics, statics, dynamics, and control.
      • Notes: There is no apparent project.
  • Notre Dame University
    • CSE 498F - Behavior-Based Robotics
      • Description: This course is designed to provide a forum for applying and testing artificial intelligence methods and models, especially behavior-based techniques, on a robot. While models will be evaluated with respect to their theoretical tenability (i.e., conceptual clarity, support by empirical data, plausibility), most emphasis will be given to issues of practicality (i.e., feasibility of implementation, real-time/real-world issues, computational resources, etc.). These practical considerations will be extensively studied in simulations as well as real-world implementations on a variety of robots. Implementations might also comprise new ideas hopefully giving rise to original research results
      • Primary Textbook:
        • Behavior-Based Robotics by C. Ronald Arkin, MIT Press, Cambridge, MA. 1998.
      • Notes: Class projects are done in groups to implement a "interesting" project of the group's choosing.
  • Wright State University
    • CEG 499 - WWW Autonomous Robotics ★
      • Description: WWW Autonomous Robotics is a computer engineering practicum offered entirely via the Internet. The course adopts a low threshold, no ceiling philosophy. This means that the course is designed to be inclusive of students with limited formal training while still providing significant challenges for those with greater preparation and/or motivation. Students will be required to create control programs for a mobile autonomous robot. In each course unit, the problems posed will become increasingly more challenging. Coaching, advising, and instruction are done online via chat interfaces. Student code is tested first in a simulator that we provide and then on a real robot whose activity can be monitored remotely via a web cam.
      • Primary Textbook:
        • Mobile and Autonomous Robotics: A WWW Introduction to Robot Controller Design by Duane S. Bolick, Jr., Richard F. Drushel, and John C. Gallagher, draft.
      • Project:
      • Notes: The class grade is based entirely off a reflective journal (60%) and class discussions (40%).