RI 16-735
Robotic Motion Planning Syllabus
Howie Choset



The following course outline is tentative. Time allotted to some topics may be modified during the semester.

Material Outline

  • Intro
  • Bug Algorithms
  • Curve Following
  • Sensors
  • Configuration Space for Round Mobile Robot
  • Potential Functions
  • Graph Search
  • Configuration Space for non-Round Robots
  • Roadmaps
  • Coverage
  • Sample-based Methods
  • Kalman Filtering (for Localization, SLAM)
  • Bayesian Techniques (for Localization, SLAM)
  • Dynamics and Non-holonomic Constraints, if time permits

 
Outline
Week Day Topics Assignments
Week 1
8/28 - 8/30		 Mon
 		 Intro, Book Review, Course Overview, Assignment Explanation, Path, Start-Goal Mapping, Coverage, Completeness, Line of Sight, Some Notations Chap 1, App A, B
HW 1
Wed
 		 Bug Algorithms Chap 2, App D
HW 2
Week 2
9/4 - 9/6		 Mon
 		 Labor Day - NO CLASS  
Wed
 		 Bug2 Algorithm, Evian Sonar Model, Wall Following controller Chap 2, App D.
Week 3
9/11 - 9/13		 Mon
 		 Two-Dimensional Configuration Space Chap 3
Cpsace Generator  
Wed
 		 Potential Functions: Att/Rep, Dist, Gradient Descent, Wavefront Planner Chap 4
HW 3  
Week 4
9/18 - 9/20		 Mon
 		 Potential Functions: Navigation Functions and Potential Functions in Non Euc. spaces Chap 4 
Wed
 		 Discuss Implentation of Potential Functions: Sensor-Based, dead-reckoning, multi, Assign Class Project, Begin A*, D* Chap 4
App H  
Week 5
9/25 - 9/27		 Mon
 		 A* and D* App H
HW 4
Wed
 		 Finsh A*, D*, Pixel-based map (Bayes Rule) App H 
Week 6
10/2 - 10/4		 Mon
 		 Return to Configuration Space: Polygonal obstacles, Higher Dimensions. Chap 3, App C, E, F 
Wed
 		 Roadmaps: Visibility Graphs & Voronoi Diagrams Chap 5
HW 5
Week 7
10/9 - 10/11		 Mon
 		 Roadmaps: Retracts and Retract-like Structures Chap 5 
Wed
 		 Roadmaps: Piece-wise Retracts
 Chap 5 
Week 8
10/16 - 10/18		 Mon
 		 Roadmaps: Sillhouette Methods Chap 5
Wed
 		 Show and Tell HW 6  
Week 9
10/23 - 10/25		 Mon
 		 Mid-Semester Break Chap 6 
Wed
 		 Cell Decompositions, Coverage Chap 6
Week 10
10/30 - 11/1
 Mon
 		 Finish Cell Decomp, Pursuer Evader
Sample-Based Methods: PRM's
 Chap 6
Chap 7 
Wed
 		 Analysis of PRM's Chap 7
Week 11
11/6 - 11/8
 Mon
 		 RRT's
Chap 7
HW 7
Wed
 		 RRT overflow
 
Week 12
11/13 - 11/15		 Mon
 		 Probabilistic and Controls Primer
 App I, J
Wed
 		 Kalman Filtering Chap 8
Week 13
11/20 - 11/22		 Mon
 		 No Class (probably)
  
Wed
 		 Thanksgiving Holiday -- NO CLASS  
Week 14
11/27 - 11/29		 Mon
 		 Bayesian SLAM Chap 9 
Wed
 		 Finish Probabilistic Methods Chap 9 
Week 15
12/4 - 12/6		 Mon
 		 Discussion  
Wed
 		 No class --
Week 16
12/11- 12/13		 Mon
 		 Project Presentations  
Wed
 		 No Class  

Last Updated August 6, 2006