Course syllabus

ISE 360-CSC 475/592 – Introduction to Robotics

Section 001, TR, 11:00 PM-12:15PM, In-Person

Congdon Hall 1006

Course Syllabus - Spring 2024

"This syllabus is subject to change, but only with sufficient notification"

 

 

Welcome to Dr. Saeidi’s Robotics class! This course is focused on image-guided control of robotic manipulators. It includes mathematical modeling concepts as well as implementation via open-source software libraries, UR5 robotic systems, and RGBD cameras. During this course, students will learn how to analyze complex 3D motions of a robotic system and integrate them into a closed-loop vision control strategy via different programming tools. The students who successfully complete this course will:

• Demonstrate skills in describing, understanding, and analyzing complex dynamic systems. 
• Demonstrate a thorough understanding of the inputs/processes/outputs of robotic systems and implement them via different programming languages and tools.
• Demonstrate an understanding of how to utilize open-source modeling and control software to analyze and control the motion of a multi-degree-of-freedom robotic system.
• Develop and use algorithms for real-time target detection and position estimation using 2D and 3D computer vision techniques.
• Demonstrate the ability to implement the developed programs on a real-world system.
• Demonstrate the ability to write scientific reports on the results and also present the work professionally.

 

What else do I need to know about this course? Prerequisites: A level of programming experience similar to CSC 331 is required. Nice to have backgrounds in linear and matrix algebra similar to CSC 340.  Prior experience with C/C++ and Linux could greatly help. I will cover the basics of the required tools as needed but eventually, you are responsible for filling any gaps in knowledge you may have while taking this course.

 

What do I do when I need help? If you need help, talk to me or shoot me an email. I will do all I can to help you understand the materials. How to contact Dr. Saeidi? E-mail: saeidih@uncw.edu Office hours: Mondays, 2 pm-3 pm (by appointment only). Office: 2038 Congdon Hall Phone: (910) 962-2094 You can email me at any time but I only respond to emails from 8 am to 5 pm. All the emails regarding ISE360-CSC475/592 must be in the following format otherwise I might not open them in time:   ISE360 or CSC475/592 – proper title   For example "CSC475/592 – Project/Lab 2" TA: Mr. Andrew Lawson, Email: acl9817@uncw.edu

 

Textbooks (Optional)

• Spong MW, Hutchinson S, Vidyasagar M. Robot modeling and control (2nd Edition). John Wiley & Sons; 2020 Mar 30.
  • Used for the robot modeling and mathematical concepts. 
• Joseph L, Cacace J. Mastering ROS for Robotics Programming: Best practices and troubleshooting solutions working with ROS (3rd Edition). Packt Publishing; 2021 Oct 28.

 

Other Resources (More resources will be posted in different modules as well)

• http://wiki.ros.org/ROS/Tutorials
• https://docs.docker.com/get-started/
• https://docs.github.com/en/get-started
• https://www.cplusplus.com/
• https://docs.python.org/3/tutorial/index.html 
• https://www.orocos.org/kdl.html
• https://docs.opencv.org/4.x/d6/d00/tutorial_py_root.html
• https://pointclouds.org/documentation
• The search engine of your choice
• ...

 

Grading

A modified 10-point scale will be used to compute your course grade. Pluses and minuses will be assigned based on the following chart.

Exams: 

There will be NO exams for this course. This is a project-based course with deliverables detailed in the following.

Deliverables and Lab Assignments

The course includes three phases:

- Phase 1: Robot modeling and control

- Phase 2: Robot vision

- Phase 3: System integration and tests with the real robot

Labs: To ease your progress, there will be 7-8 lab assignments distributed among the three phases 

Labs will be assigned regularly and each lab might be broken into parts done on TR during class (after an introductory lecture and in-class examples). 

Reports and presentations/demos: A report and a presentation are expected at the end of each phase (a 2-page technical report + a 5-minute in-class presentation). Each report focuses on the methods and achievements during that specific phase. 

Late submission policy for the labs, phase reports, and presentations:

• Prompt notification  (for good reason, documented illness, etc.) is required in advance.
• Otherwise: 5% penalty per day.
• After 5 days,  it will result in a 0 grade for the specific lab/report/presentation. 

 

Attendance: 

Regular attendance is expected. This course proceeds at such a pace that class absence can have an impact on student performance and final grades. Each student is responsible for all the work, including tests and written work, in all class sessions.

 There will be extensive in-class activities and some questions and problems in the exams will be from the lecture notes. Unavoidable schedule changes may be announced in class and class participation and in-class activities may impact final grade determination in some cases. 

Students must wait 15 minutes if the professor is late for class.

Anticipated Absences. Anticipated absences should be reported to the instructor at least seven days before the absence is scheduled to occur. Situations in which an instructor is encouraged to approve a documented anticipated absence include:

• Attendance at university-sponsored activities in which the student is representing UNCW, e.g., a professional meeting in which the student presents his or her research, required varsity athletic events for team members, or required events for SGA officers. Instructors may require certification of the student’s participation from the administrator in charge of the activity. Absences for university-affiliated, but not directly sponsored, activities (such as a club or Greek life events) do not qualify under this policy.
• Required court attendance as certified by the Clerk of Court.
• Required military duty as certified by the student’s commanding officer.

Unanticipated Absences. Students are encouraged to communicate with instructors in a timely fashion after unanticipated absences from class. Each faculty member determines how to treat such absences but typically will excuse absences due to health emergencies, death in the family, or a comparable emergency when supported by verifying documentation from the student. 

Two missed lab submissions or three unexcused absences will result in an F grade in the class.

 

 

Academic Integrity

University Policy on academic integrity will be followed for this course. Cheating will be taken very seriously, resulting in harsh penalties. Since the skills required in this class are also required in the next class, cheating in this class will seriously hamper your ability to pass the next class. Please refer to this page for more information about the University policies. 

Any dissemination of class notes, lecture slides, recordings, handouts, copies of exams, or any other course materials without permission of the instructor is prohibited by UNCW policy.  UNCW Copyright Use and Ownership Policy (http://www.uncw.edu/policies/documents/01210.copyrightpolicy.pdf) specifies that class notes and related materials are considered derivative of the original intellectual property of the course instructor. Therefore, the instructor (not the student) owns the copyright and must provide specific permission to distribute and/or reuse those materials for anything other than personal use and scholarship by the student. Commercial use, display, or dissemination of such notes, copies, or recordings—as well as posting to websites--will generally constitute an infringement of copyright and the Honor Code.  Materials that qualify as student-owned are listed in the policy.

Health and Safety Protocols:

As of August 2nd, the university has required the use of face coverings indoors. You will not be permitted to join an in-person class without a face covering. Failure to comply will result in referral to the Dean of Students. Any student who has a medical concern with wearing a face covering should contact the Disability Resource Center at (910) 962-7555. If you are not already vaccinated, please consult with your healthcare provider and consider getting vaccinated. Vaccines are available through the UNCW Student Health Center. Effective August 23, any student on campus who has not provided proof of vaccination will be required to participate in weekly surveillance testing.