Robotics

EE 5325, Fall 2009, Course Flyer, Course Info

1. Instructor: Dan Popa
2. Office Location: NH 525, and ARRI room 312 (off-campus), find directions here.
3. Office Hours: Monday & Wednesday 10 am to 12 pm or by appointment
4. Phone: 817-272-5982
5. Fax: 817-272-5952
6. Email: popa@uta.edu
Course Venue MW 1:00-2:20, NH 109

7. Course Prerequisites:

Please come see me, call me, or email me if you have additional questions prior to signing up for the course.

8. Required Readings/Materials:

Textbooks:

  • Mathematical Introduction to Robotic Manipulation by Richard M. Murray, Zexiang Li, S. Shankar Sastry (required)
  • Robot Manipulator Control: Theory and Practice (Control Engineering, 15) by Frank L. Lewis, et al (required)
  • Introduction to Robotics: Mechanics and Control (3rd Edition) by John J. Craig,
  • Robot Analysis: The Mechanics of Serial and Parallel Manipulators by Lung-Wen Tsai, (on library reserve)
  • Introduction to Robotics, by Phillip John McKerrow , Publisher: Addison-Wesley Pub (Sd) (May 1991)
  • Student Edition of MATLAB Version 5 for Windows by Mathworks, Mathworks Staff, MathWorks Inc. (recommended)
  • MATLAB Robotics Toolbox by Peter Corke, free download

9. Course Description:
This is a fundamental robotics course, containing both introductory as well as more advanced concepts. It presents a broad overview of robotic manipulation and also focuses on fundamentals such as robot kinematics, dynamics, control and planning. This year, the course will present more topics related to parallel and mobile robots and a more modest emphasis on industrial applications. The course is divided between three areas:
  • Robot manipulator kinematics & dynamics
  • Robot control and planning
  • Introduction to mobile robotics
10. Course Learning Goals/Objectives:
The goals of the course are as follows:
  1. To introduce students to multi-discpiplinary aspect of robotics.
  2. To provide students with a solid background of fundamental concepts and methods in kinematics, dynamics, control and planning.
  3. To provide assignments that will allow students to solidify these concepts.
11. Tentative Lecture Schedule:

12. Specific Course Requirements:
  • Homeworks: Bi-weekly
  • Examinations: One midterm and one final
  • Projects: One final project with presentation and report
  • Final Examination: Final Exam Comprehensive
  • Missed deadlines for take-home exams and homeworks: Maximum grade drops 10% per late day
  • Grading Format Weighting: 25% Homeworks; 25% Midterm; 25% Final Project; 25% Final. Grades will be assigned on a curve.
  • Academic Dishonesty will not be tolerated. All homeworks and exams are individual assignments. Your take-home exams and homeworks will be carefully scrutinized to ensure a fair grade for everyone.
  • Attendance and Drop Policy: Attendance is not mandatory. However, if you skip classes, you will find the homework and exams more difficult. Assignments are going to be posted here, however, due to the pace of the lectures, copying someone else's notes may be an unreliable way of making up an absence. You are responsible for all material covered in class regardless of absences.
  • Additional Information: The class project will require simulation or experimental validation of concepts learned in class as well as an in-class oral presentation. A list of suggested projects.
13. Additional Materials