Course Information and Catalog Description
A hands-on introduction to programming autonomous mobile robots. The focus of this course is on designing robotic systems that navigate independently in complex environments. Specific topics include localization, mapping, kinematics, path planning and computer vision.
| Location: | HHS 2002 |
| Meeting Time: | T/TH 11:00AM-12:15PM |
| Prerequisites: | CS240 |
| Course Web Page: | http://w3.cs.jmu.edu/spragunr/CS354/ |
There is no required textbook for this course. All readings will be made available as handouts or electronic resources.
Instructor Information
| Name: | Dr. Nathan Sprague |
| Office: | ISAT/CS 226 |
| Office Phone: | 568-3312 |
| Email: | spragunr@jmu.edu |
| Office Hours: | http://w3.cs.jmu.edu/spragunr/schedule.html |
You may use email to contact me. However, I encourage you to use Piazza to ask questions related to course content. You are welcome to call or stop by my office any time, with the understanding that I may or may not be available outside of my posted office hours.
Course Content and Goals
At the conclusion of this course students should be able to:
- Write software that interacts with robotic hardware.
- Implement and apply algorithms that address several key problems in robotics, including:
- Sensor fusion
- Localization and mapping
- Visual object detection
- Path planning
- Forward Kinematics
- Understand the current application and limitations of mobile robots.
- Read and understand journal and conference papers describing current research in the area of robotics.
- Work effectively in a team to solve challenging problems without clearly prescribed solutions.
Course Schedule
A detailed schedule, including reading and homework assignments, is available on the course web page. That schedule will be updated throughout the semester and should be checked regularly.
Methods of Evaluation
Class time will be divided between lectures and hands-on work in the robotics laboratory.
The work for this course will fall into several categories:
- Homework assignments.
- Quizzes based on the readings.
- Short hands-on laboratory assignments designed to be completed during a single class period. If these are not finished during class, you will be responsible for finishing them before the next class period.
- 2-3 Larger scale programming assignments. These will generally involve implementing or applying a robotics algorithm and will require a significant amount of time outside of class.
- A final project. The final projects will be a main focus of the course during the second half of the semester. We will organize a public demonstration of these projects during the final week of the semester.
- Paper Presentations. All students will lead a discussion of one recent research paper in the area of robotics.
Most laboratory and programming assignments will be completed in groups. Each group will submit a single solution and members of the group will receive the same grade.
Final course grades will be weighted as follows:
| Homework Assignments, Labs and Programming Assignments | 30% |
| Quizzes | 5% |
| Final Project | 15% |
| Paper Presentations | 10% |
| Midterm Exam | 20% |
| Final Exam | 20% |
Letter grades will be assigned on the scale A=90-100, B=80-89, C=70-79, D=60-69, F=0-59, with potential minor adjustments after considering the overall performance of the class and actual distribution of numeric scores. I will use "+" and "-" grades at my discretion. I do not assign WP or WF grades except under extraordinary circumstances.
Course Policies
Attendance and Participation
Regular attendance and fully engaged participation is expected. Your grade will be partially based on in-class assignments and quizzes, so attendance will affect your grade.
Academic Integrity
It is expected that your work in this course will comply with the provisions of the JMU honor code: http://www.jmu.edu/honor/code.shtml. It is not a violation of the honor code to discuss assignments and solutions with other students. However, representing someone else's work as your own, in any form, constitutes an honor code violation. It is also a violation of the honor code to "render unauthorized assistance to another student by knowingly permitting him or her to see or copy all or a portion of an examination or any work to be submitted for academic credit."
A key component of academic integrity is giving credit where credit is due. If you receive assistance, either from another student or from some other source, you must explicitly acknowledge that fact in your submission.
I will prosecute honor code violations if they come to my attention. If in doubt about what is allowed, ask me.
Missed and Late Assignment Policy
If you are unable to take an exam at the scheduled time because of illness or other problems, you must contact me beforehand to arrange to take the exam at a different time. Failure to make prior arrangements for a missed exam will result in a grade of 0 for the exam.
Homework assignments and projects submitted late will be penalized by 25%. This penalty will increase by an additional 25% every 24 hours.
No extensions will be given due to illnesses or school activities. Extensions will only be considered in the case of extended illness or serious family emergencies. Such extensions must be requested prior to the due date.
Adding/Dropping
Students are responsible for adding and dropping courses via MyMadison. Please consult the academic calendar for exact deadlines.
Disability Accommodations
If you need an accommodation based on the impact of a disability, you should contact the Office of Disability Services (Student Success Center, Room 1202, www.jmu.edu/ods, 540-568-6705) if you have not previously done so. Disability Services will provide you with an Access Plan Letter that will verify your need for services and make recommendations for accommodations to be used in the classroom. Once you have presented me with this letter, you and I will sit down and review the course requirements, your disability characteristics, and your requested accommodations to develop an individualized plan, appropriate for this course.
Inclement Weather Policy
This class will operate in accord with JMU's inclement weather policy available at http://www.jmu.edu/JMUpolicy/1309.shtml
Religious Observation Accommodations
I will give reasonable and appropriate accommodations to students requesting them on grounds of religious observation. If you require such accommodations you must notify me at least two weeks in advance.