91.548 home mtg 13: Course Review mtg 12: Research Papers mtg 7: Robot Vision mtg 6: LabVIEW Embedded for Blackfin mtg 5: VDK (visual dsp++ kernel) mtg 4: laser cutter mtg 3: FPGA design/implementation mtg 2: sensors/motors/arch/control mtg 1: intro |
91.548 Robot Design Spring 2006Contact Schedule
We will typically meet first in 401 for lecture/discussion and then move to 306 for lab during class hours. The class is scheduled for 2.5 instructional hours. We will take a
15 minute break in the middle and end (officially) at 8:15.
Office Hours Course Web Site URL
Course Wiki
Text
Additional data sheets and PDF documents will be handed out in class
and/or linked from this web site.
Discussion Site URL There will be a discussion site / bulletin board for the class.
It will be linked from the course home page. Overview The Analog Devices Blackfin is new, high-performance digital signal processor (DSP) for embedded applications. In a joint venture between Analog and UMass Lowell, we have developed the Blackfin Handy Board, which mates the Blackfin 537 processor with sensor/motor/power hardware, forming a hand-held control board ideal for mobile robotics applications. This semester's 91.548 Robot Design class will be all about pushing this new board to its limits, with robot applications custom-developed by students of the class. We will work at four different levels of inquiry: Board/Circuit/Driver/Electronics Level. We will delve into the design of the Blackfin Handy Board and the Blackfin chip itself. Also, we will learn how to develop FPGA-based circuits and systems:
Operating Systems/Programming Languages. Several development environments will be used throughout the class:
Robot Applications. You will be free to explore your own interests in terms of project themes, including (e.g.):
Applied Theory. We will take a combined historical and practical approach to learning the theory that underlies control engineering, as it applies to sensori-motor robot systems. A combination of materials, including older texts and historical analyses, will be used in combination with practical implementations to build up a basis for the theory:
Practical Overview The course will be primarily based on design and implementation work. Students will conduct a series of lab assignments and at least two open-ended design challenges. In addition to the practical work itself, students will be responsible for several short lab write-ups and one significant publication-quality paper, which should combine literature research with presentation and discussion of your own investigation / design process. 91.548 is part of a 2-course graduate sequence in robotics. Its pairing, 91.549 Mobile Robots, is taught in fall semester by Prof. Yanco. The course will be a combination of a hands-on, project-based class and a graduate reading and discussion seminar. Requirements Students are expected to create/present the following deliverables:
Looking Ahead Here is a quick look at the semester with topics for the first few weeks. The course is not completely planned at this point.
Last modified: Monday, 04-Jun-2007 13:00:39 EDT by fred_martin@uml.edu |