Unit information: Robotics Systems PG in 2017/18

Unit name	Robotics Systems PG
Unit code	COMSM0012
Credit points	10
Level of study	M/7
Teaching block(s)	Teaching Block 2 (weeks 13 - 24)
Unit director	Professor. Mayol-Cuevas
Open unit status	Not open
Pre-requisites	None
Co-requisites	None
School/department	Department of Computer Science
Faculty	Faculty of Engineering

Description including Unit Aims

Robotics as a field advances as the foundational disciplines such as Artificial Intelligence, control, computer vision and related make progress, however, by its own nature Robotics ultimately requires the integration of a variety of methods, devices and approaches into a coherent working system. This unit aims to provide an overview of the latest research in the field as well as a hands-on approach to Robotics by introducing foundations on key topics of robotic systems such as PID control and modelling, Computer Vision, Robotic Design, Mobile Robotics among others. It will also aim to offer a practical point of view into how to design systems that close the perception-action loop in both simulation and real mobile robots. This unit aims to provide insight of the latest research in the field as well as a hands-on approach to Robotics by introducing foundations and practicals on key topics of robotic systems. It also aims to offer a practical point of view into how to design systems that close the perception-action loop in both simulation and real mobile robots.

Intended Learning Outcomes

At the end of the course a successful student will be able to:

1. Identify, formulate, and solve problems related to Robotics from a systems engineering point of view.
2. Undertake research with, design, develop and operate a family of robotic devices such as sensor-rich mobile robots.
3. Be aware of the current challenges in robotics research.
4. Understand the impact of Robotic Systems in current and future engineering problems.
5. Be able to find and handle relevant resources such as literature and software related to Robotics.
6. Interact with personnel from industry, laboratories, academic institutions and/or other services regarding robot systems design, maintenance, and operation.

Teaching Information

This unit will involve lectures that will cover the current state of the art in robotics research within a historical perspective as well as specialized lectures on key topics of robotic systems that range from control, optimization, stochastic filtering and related. The topics will be introduced from a practical point of view following the emphasis of a hands-on and systems engineering point of view. This will enable students from different backgrounds to be able to grasp the fundamentals of the techniques, enable them to use and apply them for the coursework as well as prepare them for further studying and developing these topics. Emphasis will be given on enabling students to understand the concepts through both lectures and tailored coursework complemented with guidance on the use of both simulators e.g. Matlab based 2D robots and real mobile robots e.g. roomba-create teaching platforms which are already available.

Assessment Information

This unit will be assessed 100% through coursework.

Reading and References

• Probabilistic Robotics, S. Thrun, MIT Press, 2005. (Background)
• Computationl Principles of Mobile Robotics, Second Edition. G. Dudek and Michael Jenkin, Cambridge University Press, 2010. (Background)
• BioRobotics:Methods and Applications, B. Webb and T. Consi, AAAI Press/The MIT Press, 2001. ISBN:978-0-262-73141-6 (Background)