Curricula

Three tracks through the same book.

These outlines follow the sample-curricula spirit of the text. They are teaching plans, not a reprint. Each week points at a lesson note; the book chapter is one click beyond that.

Track 1 · Full two-semester undergrad

CSCI 3302 + 4302 style. Semester A is mechanisms and sensing. Semester B is computation and uncertainty, with a project.

A · W1

Introduction — autonomy, sense-plan-act, what this course is not.

A · W2

Locomotion — wheels, legs, DoF, frames.

A · W3–4

Kinematics — forward, inverse, mobile unicycle. Lab: draw a differential-drive path.

A · W5

Forces — statics, wrenches, friction cones.

A · W6

Grasping — contact, form and force closure.

A · W7

Actuators — motors, gearing, torque vs speed.

A · W8

Sensors — proprio vs extero, noise as a first-class object.

A · W9

Studio week: differential drive plus encoder-and-IMU scavenger hunt. Math sheets as needed.

B · W1

Vision — images as signals, convolution, edges.

B · W2

Features — corners, descriptors, matching.

B · W3

Neural nets — from perceptron to conv nets. Backprop sheet.

B · W4

Task execution — FSM, behaviors, when not to plan.

B · W5

Mapping — occupancy and topology.

B · W6

Path planning — A*, sampling, fields. Studio: grid search.

B · W7

Manipulation — from IK to a pick pipeline.

B · W8

Error propagation + localization.

B · W9–10

SLAM and a closing project. Paper-writing sheet if you report it.

Track 2 · One-semester mobile robots

Skip most manipulation. Live on the floor with a wheeled platform.

Introduction

Locomotion — stability, DoF, why wheels dominate indoors.

Kinematics — unicycle and differential drive only. Studio demo 1.

Sensors — range, IMU, wheel odometry. Actuators as a short briefing.

W5–6

Path planning with a light pass through mapping.

Error propagation — why odometry dies. Studio: Kalman band.

W8–9

Localization then SLAM.

W10

Field demo week. Optional vision if cameras are on the robot.

Track 3 · Graduate crash course

Assume linear algebra, probability, and some optimization. Move fast; assign the book as primary reading every night.

Intro + locomotion + frames in kinematics.

Finish kinematics. Forces and grasping as one sitting.

Actuators + sensors. Uncertainty starts here, not in Part IV.

Vision, features, nets.

Tasks, maps, planning, manipulation.

Error, localization, SLAM. Paper-writing if they publish the project.

Study sheets: linear algebra, statistics, backprop.