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Welcome To Intro To Robotics

The document is an email from a professor to a student welcoming them to an Introduction to Robotics class. It provides 4 suggestions: 1) Get the textbook now and read the first 2 chapters to prepare; 2) Complete introductory modules and install ROS software for a NASA robotics competition the class will participate in; 3) Purchase an Arduino Mega to build robot arms in class; 4) Sign up for an IEEE robotics feed to stay up to date. The professor emphasizes reading ahead of each class and bringing questions to get the most out of the lectures.

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علي كامل الاسدي
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98 views2 pages

Welcome To Intro To Robotics

The document is an email from a professor to a student welcoming them to an Introduction to Robotics class. It provides 4 suggestions: 1) Get the textbook now and read the first 2 chapters to prepare; 2) Complete introductory modules and install ROS software for a NASA robotics competition the class will participate in; 3) Purchase an Arduino Mega to build robot arms in class; 4) Sign up for an IEEE robotics feed to stay up to date. The professor emphasizes reading ahead of each class and bringing questions to get the most out of the lectures.

Uploaded by

علي كامل الاسدي
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© © All Rights Reserved
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You are on page 1/ 2

ECE 5397/6397: Introduction to Robotics

Spring 2016
Welcome

Hi Javier,

Welcome to my Spring 2016 5397/6397 Introduction to Robotics Class! I want to make


sure that you learn robotics well, and also enjoy the learning experience. With this in mind,
I am writing to offer a few suggestions.

Suggestion 1: Get the textbook now, and study Chapters 1 and 2 & Appendices A & B

I like this textbook, a classic text on the fundamentals of robotics. It was written by some of
the best experts in the field. Mark Spong was my MS advisor and now is dean of UT Dallas.
Seth Hutchinson was my PhD academic advisor. It is smart to get the textbook now. It costs
the same regardless of when you buy it, so why not buy it early. Importantly, you get a
chance to peek into what lies ahead this semester. Here is a link to the book’s website, but
you may purchase the book wherever you can find it. There are cheaper sources (and e-
book versions):

Robot Modeling and Control Mark W. Spong, Seth Hutchinson, M. Vidyasagar, John Wiley and Sons, Inc., 2005

In my experience, the best way to succeed in a course is to follow my simple recipe. 1. Read
ahead for each class. This way, you know what to expect, and what topics you may find
challenging. 2. Bring your questions to class. If you have read ahead, you will get a LOT
more out of the lecture, and understand my answers to your questions MUCH BETTER. You
may find that you can succeed with less effort if you follow my recipe.

Suggestion 2: Purchase an Arduino Mega (or suitable clone)


The University of Houston was selected as a finalist for the NASA Swarmathon Challenge,
http://nasaswarmathon.com/. As a finalist, we have been awarded three ‘swarmie’ robots,
as well as access to a simulator environment in ROS for testing algorithms. Students will
form 2-person teams. Each team will complete three challenges in ROS, concluding with an
in-class competition on the Swarmathon challenge. Winning teams will be allowed to
implement on the hardware robots and will compete in the national competition. Before
class begins, please complete the introductory modules at
http://nasaswarmathon.com/outreach/ and install ROS, http://www.ros.org/, on your
computer.

Suggestion 3: Purchase an Arduino Mega (or suitable clone)

We will construct low-cost 4-DoF robot arms in the class to explore kinematics/inverse
kinematics, and trajectory following. Students will form 2-person teams. I’ll provide the
laser cut parts, teams provide the servos and Arduino. Download the software and practice
controlling the onboard LEDS, or get a motor shield and control motors. You can see the
arms we will build at http://mearm.com/.

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Suggestion 4: (For fun and to be up-to-date in Robotics) Sign up for the robotics feed
from IEEE spectrum.
Robotics articles are available at http://spectrum.ieee.org/robotics. This year we’ll try to
start each Tuesday lecture with a highlight from the video Friday series:
http://spectrum.ieee.org/automaton/robotics/humanoids/video-friday-happy-robot-
holidays.
Please sign up for the RSS feed (or weekly email/Facebook/twitter or LinkedIn:
http://feeds.feedburner.com/IeeeSpectrumRobotics

Looking forward to working with you,

Aaron T. Becker
Assistant Professor, Electrical & Computer Engineering
University of Houston
Houston, Texas 77204-4005
Office: 713-743-6671
Email: atbecker@uh.edu

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