1. Intelligent Mobile Robotics
CS 490 Section 1
Fall 2002
Jerry Weinberg
Tuesday, Thursday 2 – 3:15 p.m.
EB Room 0011

2. Course Objectives
Study the computational mechanisms for implementing intelligent, autonomous mobile robots:
Robot Control Architectures: reactive, deliberative, and hybrid
Control Mechanisms: PID error correction
Sensory Perceptions: obstacle avoidance, recognition, navigation, mapping
Methods of Navigation: Dead reckoning, landmark localization
Methods of Planning

3. Readings
Required Textbook: Introduction to AI Robotics by Robin Murphy
Additional reading will be assigned from technical journals and conference proceedings.
Suggested Reading:
Behavior Based Robotics by Ronald Arkin
Computational Principles of Mobile Robotics by G. Dudek & M. Jenkin
Mobile Robotics a Practical Introduction by Ulrich Nehmzow
Artificial Intelligence: A Modern Approach by S. Russell & P. Norvig
AI Topics Website:

4. Tentative Schedule Week Topic Reading 1
Overview of Robotics and Robot Control Architectures
Murphy: Introduction, Chapter 1
2 & 3
Reactive Control Architectures
Murphy: Chapters 3, 4, & 5 4
Robot Motion and Control 5
Deliberative Control Architectures
Murphy: Chapter 2 6
Sensors
Murphy: Chapter 6
7 & 8
Topic Paper Presentations & Midterm 9
Hybrid Control Architectures
Murphy: Chapter 7
10 & 11
Navigation
Murphy: Chapters: 9 & 10 12
Mapping
Murphy: Chapter 11
Multi-agent robotics
Murphy: Chapter 8 13
Robot Manipulators
14 & 15
Project Demonstrations and Presentations

5. Programming Eyebots: www.ee.uwa.edu.au/~braunl/eyebot
Pioneer (P2-DX): robots.activmedia.com
C/C++ with special libraries
Pair programming

6. Grading Midterm 10% Final 10% Topic Paper & Presentation 15%
Programming Assignments 40%
Project (demos & presentation) 25%

7. Beta Warning: Product Testing

8. Why Study Robotics?
Industrial Robots

9. Why Study Robotics?
Service Robots

10. Why Study Robotics?
Exploration

11. Why Study Robotics?
Consumer Robots

12. Why Study Robotics? Embedded Systems Programming
Cars, microwave ovens, mobile phones
Integrated Systems Engineering
Mechanical Engineering
Electrical Engineering
Computer Science

13. Why Study Robotics?
Real-time Systems

14. Why Study Robotics?
Multitasking

15. Why Study Robotics?
Its Fun!

16. What is An Intelligent Robot?
A machine able to extract information from its environment and use knowledge about its world to move safely in a meaningful manner

17. Humans vs. Robots People Robots Bones Mechanical Structure Muscles
Effectors
Senses
Sensors
Digestion/Respiration
AC/DC Power
Brain
Computer
Knowledge
Program

18. Teleoperation vs. Autonomous

19. Robots vs. Softbots
A softbot is a pure software agent whose environment consists of computer file systems, databases, and networks
Microsoft Office Helper, Game Agents, Web Crawlers, Expert Systems
Robot is an active, artificial agent whose environment is the physical world

20. The Real World is A Harsh Place
Inaccessible
near by stimuli, limited attention, imperfect sensors
Non-deterministic
Robot structure and dynamics, environment
Dynamic
Changes happening as decisions are made
Continuous
The worlds is not a set of discrete events

21. Dealing with the Physical World
A robot needs to be able to handle its environment or the environment must be altered and controlled.
Close World Assumption
The robot knows everything relevant
no surprises
Open World Assumption
The robot must be able to handle unexpected events.

22. Spectrum of Robot Control
Read Murphy: Chapters 1 & 2