ECE 780 Topic 6 - Fall 2015

ECE 780 Topic 6 - Humanoid Robotics

Lecture Times, Building and Room Number

Thursdays, 2:30pm – 5:20pm, EIT 3141

Instructor

Dana Kulić
Office Location: E5 5114
Office Hours: by appointment
Contact: dana.kulic@uwaterloo.ca

Course Description

This course provides an overview of the fundamentals and the recent research in the field of humanoid robotics. The course will cover kinematics and dynamics, postural stability, control, gait and trajectory generation and inertial parameter estimation. Additional advanced topics in learning, human-robot interaction and manipulation and grasping and human motion modeling will be covered as time permits.

Course Objectives

At the end of the course you should be able to:

• Develop kinematic and dynamic models for anthropomorphic body structures and simulate their forward and inverse kinematics and dynamics;
• Develop gaits and other trajectories for humanoid robots;
• Implement controllers that ensure postural stability during trajectory execution for humanoid robots;
• Have a good overview of the current research in the field of humanoid robotics;
• Complete a graduate level research project in the field of humanoid robotics.

Course prerequisites

ECE 486/ECE 687 or equivalent, or permission of the instructor.

Required text

S. Kajita, H. Hirukawa, K. Harada and K. Yokoi, Introduction to Humanoid Robotics, Springer, 2014. Additional reading materials for the course will be available from the course website.

Evaluation

The course grade will be based on in-class participation and presentations and a course project. The breakdown is as follows:

• In Class Participation and Presentations: 40%
  • Weekly Critiques: 20%
  • Discussion Leader: 40%
  • Lecture: 40%
• Course Project 60%
  • Project Proposal: 20%
  • Final Project Presentation: 30%
  • Final Project Report: 50%

Weekly Critiques

To help prepare for the in-class discussion and learn about recent research, students will be expected to submit a brief analysis of assigned readings each week, consisting of a summary, critical evaluation and questions for further discussion. The critiques will be evaluated based on students' summary and critical analysis of the paper.

Discussion Leader

During the course of the term, each student will lead one in-class discussion, on the topic of that week's assigned readings. Discussion leader scheduling will be decided during the first week of term.

Lecture

During the course of the term, each student will deliver one lecture on a topic of their choice. Lecture selection and scheduling will be decided during the first week of term.

Rules for Group Work

Projects, Discussion Leader and Lectures can be done individually or in groups of up to 3, but groups will have to demonstrate work proportional to their size. Critiques must be done individually.

Late Submissions

No late submission of critiques will be accepted. Late project submissions (proposal or final report) can be handed in via email to the instructor. Late submissions will have 10% of the mark deducted for each day or part of a day that they are late.

Important Notes

• Academic integrity: In order to maintain a culture of academic integrity, members of the University of Waterloo community are expected to promote honesty, trust, fairness, respect and responsibility.
• Grievance: A student who believes that a decision affecting some aspect of his/her university life has been unfair or unreasonable may have grounds for initiating a grievance. Read Policy 70, Student Petitions and Grievances, Section 4. When in doubt please be certain to contact the department’s administrative assistant who will provide further assistance.
• Discipline: A student is expected to know what constitutes academic integrity to avoid committing an academic offence, and to take responsibility for his/her actions. A student who is unsure whether an action constitutes an offence, or who needs help in learning how to avoid offences (e.g., plagiarism, cheating) or about “rules” for group work/collaboration should seek guidance from the course instructor, academic advisor, or the undergraduate Associate Dean. For information on categories of offences and types of penalties, students should refer to Policy 71, Student Discipline. For typical penalties check Guidelines for the Assessment of Penalties.
• Appeals: A decision made or penalty imposed under Policy 70 (Student Petitions and Grievances) (other than a petition) or Policy 71 (Student Discipline) may be appealed if there is a ground. A student who believes he/she has a ground for an appeal should refer to Policy 72 (Student Appeals).
• Note for students with disabilities: The AccessAbility Services, located in Needles Hall, Room 1132, collaborates with all academic departments to arrange appropriate accommodations for students with disabilities without compromising the academic integrity of the curriculum. If you require academic accommodations to lessen the impact of your disability, please register with the AccessAbility Services at the beginning of each academic term.