Department of Computer Science
College of Arts and Sciences
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

COMP 590-072
Robotics: An Introduction

Instructor: Ming C. Lin

COURSE OVERVIEW:

Robotics is the study of robot design, programming, and control. Typically a robot is refered to as an agent that can be programmed to perform a variety of tasks -- both with and without human intervention. A robot is often manifested and realized by mechanical and electrical components to carry out its actions in the physical world. Robots frequently receive input from noisy sensors, consider geometric and mechanical constraints, and operate in the physical world through imprecise actuators. The design and analysis of robot algorithms and computational elements, therefore, raises a unique combination of questions in computational and differential geometry, algorithm design, control theory, mechanics, computer science, and system engineering.

In this course, we will give an overview on fundamental components of robotic systems, including the sensing and actuation, control and modeling of motion and perception, dynamics and kinematics, motion planning and manipulation of robots. Students will learn about implementation of basic simulation programs that produce interesting results and verify its correctness. The goal of this class is to get students an appreciation of computational methods and engineering issues for modeling robots. We will discuss various considerations and tradeoffs used in designing various methodologies (e.g. time, space, robustness, and generality). This will include data structures, algorithms, computational methods, simulation techniques, runtime complexity, system implementation and integration, in the context of multi-disciplinary design. The lectures will also cover some applications of robotics to the following areas:

Furthermore, scientists have discovered that designs in the natural world can be successfully exploited to create engineered artifacts. Over the last several years, robotists have come up with several new robot designs that are based on biological entities. These new designs offer significant benefits over the traditional robot designs. Thus, a central part of the course will also cover the fundamentals and applications of biologically inspired robots. If time allows, we will also examine recent development on modular and reconfigurable robots, as well as simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM).

LECTURES AND APPROXIMATE SCHEDULE

Here is a list of TENTATIVE lecture topics (subject to changes). Schedule and information on each topic (e.g. readings, web pointers) will be added during the semester before each class.

ASSIGNMENTS AND PROJECTS

GEOMETRIC ALGORITHMS AND SOFTWARES AVAILABLE ON THE WEB:

ADDITIONAL REFERENCE MATERIALS

Some Reference Books in Robotics:

Other Reference Books in Mechanics:

Other Reference Books in Numerical Methods:

Other Reference Books in Geometry:

Other Related Reference Books in Computer Animation:

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