Course pages 2019–20

Mobile Robot Systems

Assisted Lab Sessions
Tuesdays, 16:00-18:00; Intel Lab

Labs will be assisted by demonstrators; students will be expected to work on assignments and the mini-project.

Assignments:
The assignments will consist of two elements: (1) experimental work using a robot simulator and real robots, and (2) theory / understanding. The exercises will require data collection and analysis. The balance between practice and theory will depend on the exercise topic. Each student will submit a written report. Students will be expected to be able to demonstrate any results reported in their hand-in.
Assessment:
Each assignment will compose 30% of the mark.

Assignment 1: Covers material from Lectures 1-4; due date: 16:00, Feb 3, 2020
Assignment 2: Covers material from Lectures 5-8; due date: 16:00, Feb 17, 2020

Mini-Projects:
A set of proposals will be announced at the start of term. Students will form groups of 2-3 and select a project proposal. Each proposal will include a core and a set of extensions; ACS students will be expected to complete the extensions.

Assessment:
The project will compose 40% of the final mark. It will be handed in as group-work in groups of 2-3, and the report will clearly state what each group member contributed. The overall project mark will be composed by a report score (60%) and a presentation score (40%). Project marks will reflect the contribution of each team member. Every team member is expected to make a similar, significant contribution to the project, and where this happens all team members will receive the same mark. The report requirements will differ for Part II and ACS students as follows:
Part II students will hand in a 2-page mini-report
ACS students will hand in 6-page double-column report (conference-formatted)

Hand-in of project report:
Part II students: 16:00, March 13, 2020
ACS students: 16:00, April 27, 2020

Project presentations (Part II students):
TBD. **

Requirements:
The practicals will involve real robots (Turtlebots) that will be accessed and controlled wirelessly over a dedicated LAN. Students are expected to have laptops running Linux, with installations of ROS Kinetic and Gazebo. An installation guide will be provided.