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EECS 464: Hands-on Robotics
Instructor: Professor Shai Revzen
Coverage
Robots are real, physical devices. The theory is there because generations of engineers have discovered that the quantitative modeling and control of robots requires this theory. Of course they may have been wrong; there may be a better way; a more innovative way. When building physical devices, the final arbiter of correctness is success at performing the desired task, together with the accumulation of knowledge that allows us to do even better next time. This philosophy is the core of Hands-On Robotics.
Course format
This is a lab course. Work is done in teams, the size of which will depend on enrollment (historically, this has been 4-5 students). Team composition will be assigned to ensure a broad spectrum of skills is available in every team. Teams will be changed between projects.
There will be some lecture content in the class, and students will be quizzed with several short (15 minute) online quizzes on this material. Half the lab periods will be devoted to the projects – either presenting them, or demonstrating that you have reached some development milestone. The other half will be a combination of lecture and working on your robots. For the most part, teams will work independently, and have access to the lab and equipment at additional hours. In addition, each of you will be responsible for reviewing another team’s work. Part of your individual grade will depend on filling a review form for that team’s work. You will not be grading them – instead I will be using your online review forms for assessing your ability to see the strengths and weaknesses in the work of other teams.
The course will consist of a short project followed by two longer ones.