Basic Robotic Behaviors and Odometry

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Basic Robotic Behaviors and Odometry

This course is part of Introduction to Robotics with Webots Specialization

Instructor: Nikolaus Correll

9,225 already enrolled

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5 modules

Gain insight into a topic and learn the fundamentals.

59 reviews

Intermediate level

Recommended experience

Flexible schedule

3 weeks at 10 hours a week

Learn at your own pace

Build toward a degree

Learn more

5 modules

Gain insight into a topic and learn the fundamentals.

59 reviews

Intermediate level

Recommended experience

Flexible schedule

3 weeks at 10 hours a week

Learn at your own pace

Build toward a degree

Learn more

What you'll learn

Model mechanisms, sensors and actuators in a physics-based online simulator.
Understand basic reactive and discrete controllers.
Perform forward kinematics computations for simple (non-)Holonomic mechanisms.

Skills you'll gain

Tools you'll learn

Python Programming

Details to know

Shareable certificate

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Assessments

13 assignments

Taught in English

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This course is part of the Introduction to Robotics with Webots Specialization

When you enroll in this course, you'll also be enrolled in this Specialization.

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There are 5 modules in this course

"Basic Robotic Behaviors and Odometry" provides you with an introduction to autonomous mobile robots, including forward kinematics (“odometry”), basic sensors and actuators, and simple reactive behavior. This course is centered around exercises in the realistic, physics-based simulator, “Webots”, where you will experiment in a hands-on manner with simple reactive behaviors for collision avoidance and line following, state machines, and basic forward kinematics of non-holonomic systems. An overarching objective of this course is to understand the role of the physical system on algorithm design and its role as source of uncertainty that makes robots non-deterministic. If you are interested in getting started with robotics, this course is for you!

This course can be taken for academic credit as part of CU Boulder’s MS in Computer Science degrees offered on the Coursera platform. These fully accredited graduate degrees offer targeted courses, short 8-week sessions, and pay-as-you-go tuition. Admission is based on performance in three preliminary courses, not academic history. CU degrees on Coursera are ideal for recent graduates or working professionals. Learn more: MS in Computer Science: https://coursera.org/degrees/ms-computer-science-boulder

Welcome to Basic Robotic Behaviors and Odometry. This week introduces the course and gives you an opportunity to introduce yourself. You will prepare for the rest of the course by learning about the main operation tool we will use throughout, the realistic robotics simulator "Webots". You will become familiar with Webots, its hosting website, and will begin to develop your foundation in navigating the simulator.

What's included

9 videos10 readings3 assignments1 discussion prompt1 plugin

9 videos Total 62 minutes

Introduction to the Specialization 2 minutes
Meet the Instructor 2 minutes
Introduction to "Basic Robotic Behaviors and Odometry" 1 minute
Video Lecture Week 1: Introduction 33 minutes
What is a Robot? 4 minutes
Building a World in Webots 11 minutes
Webots - Collisions and Physics 4 minutes
What Are Radians? 2 minutes
More About Cyberbotics 4 minutes

10 readings Total 256 minutes

Course Updates and Accessibility Support 1 minute
Earn Academic Credit for your Work! 10 minutes
Course Support 10 minutes
Assessment Expectations 10 minutes
AI Citation and Acknowledgement 10 minutes
Course Activities 5 minutes
What is a Robot? 10 minutes
The First Industrial Robot 10 minutes
On the Road to Autonomous Cars 10 minutes
Webots Tutorials 1-3 180 minutes

3 assignments Total 45 minutes

AI Policy Quiz 5 minutes
What is a Robot? 10 minutes
Hands-on: Controlling Motors Using Position or Velocity Control 30 minutes

1 discussion prompt Total 10 minutes

Introduce Yourself! 10 minutes

1 plugin Total 45 minutes

Webots User Guide 45 minutes

This week introduces the devices that allow robots to move and effectuate changes in their environment ("actuators"), as well as perceive their world ("sensors").

What's included

5 videos9 readings4 assignments

5 videos Total 77 minutes

Video Lecture Week 2: Sensors and Actuators 47 minutes
Basic Actuators (Theory) 6 minutes
Basic Actuators (Practice) 12 minutes
Basic Sensors - Distance Sensors 10 minutes
Basic Sensors - Light Sensors 2 minutes

9 readings Total 180 minutes

Actuators: Electric 20 minutes
Other Types of Actuators 10 minutes
Sensors 15 minutes
Sensors That Measure: Joint Configuration 10 minutes
Sensors That Measure: Ego-Motion 10 minutes
Sensors That Measure: Force 10 minutes
Sensors That Measure: Distance 10 minutes
Global Positioning Systems 10 minutes
Webots Tutorial 4-6 85 minutes

4 assignments Total 93 minutes

Actuators 15 minutes
Sensors 18 minutes
Hands-on: Exploring Light Sensors 30 minutes
From Webots to Real Robotics 30 minutes

In this week, you will experiment with basic reactive robotic behaviors and understand the challenges of task execution.

What's included

5 videos1 reading1 assignment1 peer review

5 videos Total 45 minutes

Video Lecture Week 3: Reactive Behaviors and State Machines 20 minutes
Reactive Behavior - Collision Avoidance 7 minutes
Reactive Behaviors - Compound Behaviors 5 minutes
Finite State Machines 6 minutes
Introduction to Peer Review "Basic Reactive Behaviors" 8 minutes

1 reading Total 20 minutes

Task Execution 20 minutes

1 assignment Total 30 minutes

Task Execution 30 minutes

1 peer review Total 180 minutes

Basic Reactive Behaviors 180 minutes

This week you will learn how to formally describe the global pose of a robot and how different actuators can affect this pose.

What's included

7 videos1 reading3 assignments

7 videos Total 70 minutes

Video Lecture Week 4: Coordinate Systems, Degrees of Freedom, and Forward Kinematics 24 minutes
Coordinate Systems and the Right Hand Rule(s) 10 minutes
Degrees of Freedom 12 minutes
Kinematics of Standard Wheels 7 minutes
Rotation Matrices 4 minutes
Setting Up the Line Following Course 7 minutes
Hands-On Simple Odometry Overview 6 minutes

1 reading Total 20 minutes

Coordinate Systems and Degrees of Freedom 20 minutes

3 assignments Total 240 minutes

Coordinate Systems and Degrees of Freedom 30 minutes
Hands-on: Simple Odometry 180 minutes
Improving Odometry 30 minutes

In this week, you will learn how to keep track of actuation commands and hence estimate the pose of your robot. You will use information from the environment to improve pose estimation and understand the concept of "holonomy".

What's included

4 videos2 assignments1 peer review

4 videos Total 49 minutes

Video Lecture Week 5: Coordinate Transforms and Odometry 25 minutes
Coordinate Transforms 14 minutes
Localization by Odometry and Loop Closure Overview 6 minutes
Non-Holonomic Vehicle Example 5 minutes

2 assignments Total 35 minutes

Loop Closure 15 minutes
Holonomy 20 minutes

1 peer review Total 240 minutes

Robot Localization by Odometry and Loop Closure Overview 240 minutes

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Build toward a degree

This course is part of the following degree program(s) offered by University of Colorado Boulder. If you are admitted and enroll, your completed coursework may count toward your degree learning and your progress can transfer with you.¹

Instructor

Instructor ratings

(13 ratings)

Nikolaus Correll

University of Colorado Boulder

3 Courses 10,268 learners

Offered by

University of Colorado Boulder

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Frequently asked questions

To access the course materials, assignments and to earn a Certificate, you will need to purchase the Certificate experience when you enroll in a course. You can try a Free Trial instead, or apply for Financial Aid. The course may offer 'Full Course, No Certificate' instead. This option lets you see all course materials, submit required assessments, and get a final grade. This also means that you will not be able to purchase a Certificate experience.

When you enroll in the course, you get access to all of the courses in the Specialization, and you earn a certificate when you complete the work. Your electronic Certificate will be added to your Accomplishments page - from there, you can print your Certificate or add it to your LinkedIn profile.

Yes. In select learning programs, you can apply for financial aid or a scholarship if you can’t afford the enrollment fee. If fin aid or scholarship is available for your learning program selection, you’ll find a link to apply on the description page.