robot15

Introduction

This is a master level course on robotics and autonomous systems. The idea is that this is one of the last courses that a student takes before starting the master thesis project and that they get to apply knowledge from many courses taken earlier in the education.

Building complex systems such as robots require knowledge from many different domains and areas of expertise. The aim of this course is to let students build a mobile robot system to solve a specific task. The system is built from scratch both mechanically and in software. The aim is that each student gets in-depth knowledge in one or more subdomains of mobile robotics and that all get to experience integration of different components. The course aims to give the students hands on experience both with system integration and robotic systems.

Intended learning outcomes

After completing the course the student should be able to

recall basic concepts in robotics
implement and integrate software components for robots
work in a team to solve a robotics task with limited resources
identify and discuss ethical and societal aspects of robot technology
present work in written and oral form

in order to

be able to work with autonomous and other complex systems in research and/or development
become better at planning, executing and developing work in project groups.

Assessment tasks

The examination for the course consists of the following assessment tasks.

Lab	An individual lab to assess the student's ability to contribute to the project work by showing basic knowledge about how to use a computer running Linux and the Robot Operating System (ROS - http://www.ros.org)
Project	This is the main form of examination. A project is carried out in groups of three to five students. The aim is that none of the students know each other from before. That their backgrounds (education, country, etc) are different and that communication in English is necessary. Students are assessed on an individual basis.
Essay	Short essay about robo-ethics
Exam	At the end of the course a written exam is given to assess broad and basic knowledge about robotics.

Course components

LAB1 ( ROS Lab )
PRO1 ( Project work )
TEN1 ( Essay and Written exam )

In this course all the regulations of the code of honor at the School of Computer science and Communication apply, see https://www.kth.se/en/csc/utbildning/hederskodex/regel1-1.55624

Contest

The project ends with a friendly contest where the robots designed by the different teams compete in performing the project task. The main aims are to create a fun event to finish off the course and to get a chance to see how different solutions compare in solving the task. An intended learning experience with the contest is also to show how hard it is to perform well at a given time and place.

Course book

The course book is "Introduction to Autonomous Mobile Robots" by Roland Siegwart et al" published by the MIT Press.