Intelligent Mobile Robots


Room	JXJ 2320
Number	CS370
PREREQUISITES	CS201 or CS330 or equivalent
Time	Tu Th 4:00pm - 5:40pm
Credit Hours	4


Instructor	Jeffrey Horn
Semester	Winter 2018
Homepage	http://euclid.nmu.edu/~jeffhorn/Classes/CS370/Winter2018
E-mail	jhorn@nmu.edu
Phone	227-1607

DESCRIPTION:

This course teaches how to design, build, and program autonomous robots. Topics include robot architecture (e.g., sensors, effectors, processors, and platforms), as well as adaptive behavior (e.g., navigation, machine learning, and evolutionary robotics). A significant portion of the course incorporates hands-on experience with real robots as well as simulators. The second half of the course will involve team-based projects and a final demonstration. Please contact Jeffrey Horn (jhorn@nmu.edu, 227-1607) with questions. (Those graduates of other robotics courses taught in previous semesters may enroll in CS 370 if such students first obtain permission from the instructor and are prepared to take on advanced tasks in the course.)

COURSE ANNOUNCEMENTS (Thursday, April 5, 2018)

What's REALLY New:

New assignments below. Come to class to discuss.
New batteries for Blaze are here! We will install them in class today.

Not so New (Older Announcements):
- This page is what is new! Welcome to the course
- Old announcements never die! They just get small and are archived in this section of our web page.

CONTENTS

Administrativa

Syllabus
Official course description from the NMU Undergraduate Bulletin

LECTURE NOTES

Servo Control:

```
 Continous Rotation Servo
```

ASSIGNMENTS

Assignment 1: Introduction to Blaze

Assigned: Thursday, January 18, 2018
Due: Tuesday, January 23, 2018
Tasks:

Install the MobileEyes client software here.
Get the the Blaze Instructions here.
Show me that you can follow the instructions to start up Blaze (cold start), connect to him in the MobileEyes client, and drive him using the DRIVE mode (arrows).
S/U grade (i.e., check off).

Assignment 2: Feasibility Study

Assigned: Thursday, January 25, 2018
Due:

T1: Elevators, Handicap Access Doors, LTE

Assignment 3: Commanding Autonomous Blaze

Assigned: Tuseday,Feb. 6, 2018
Due:
Tasks:

Show me that you can localize Blaze anywhere on the JXJ 2nd floor map using the MobileEyes client.
Show me that you can direct Blaze, in autonomous mode, to any location that I pick on the 2nd floor JXJ map.

Assignment 4: Arduino IDE: "Hello World"

Assigned: Tuesday,Feb. 6, 2018
Due:
Tasks:

Download and install the Arduino IDE from www.arduino.cc.
Connect to the Arduino Mega or Nano.
Start a new sketch that prints your name to the console window.
Send me your sketch by email (jhorn@nmu.edu). Put "CS370: A4" in the SUBJECT.

Assignment 5: Arduino Servo Control: "Second Hand Sweep"

Assigned: Tuesday,Feb.13, 2018
Due:
Tasks:

Go through the Arduino.cc tutorial named "SWEEP" here.
Modify the code in the sweep sketch so that your servo arm:

Behaves like the second hand on an analog clock face,
making sure it sweeps out 90° of arc in 15 seconds,
and moving as smoothly and uniformly as possible

Show me your code working OR send me a video!
Send me your sketch by email (jhorn@nmu.edu). Put "CS370: A5" in the SUBJECT.
Your code will be graded according to how accurate, uniform, and smooth the servo movement is.

Assignment 6: Arduino Sonar Control: "What Can You See?"

Assigned: Thursday, Feb. 22, 2018
Due: Friday, March 2, 2018 (basically, before you leave for Spring Break!)
Steps:

Implement the circuit and copy the software from the online sonar tutorial here. (This is the same link that I sent to you by email on Tuesday, Feb. 20, 2018)
TASKS: Once you have your sonar system working, so that you can get sonar measurement readings from the Serial Monitor window of the Arudiono IDE, perform the following tasks :

Cone of sensitivity:

Place your sonar transceiver at one end of a large sheet of paper (in the NERL).
Use as a target an object with a flat surface approximately the size of a notebook (e.g., 8.5x11 inches).
Place the target at various locations on the paper, flat side facing the sonar.
At each location write down on the paper the approximate, average sonar reading you see in the serial monitor window.
Take enough samples to get a rough outline of a "cone of sensitivity."
The cone must include the min. and max. distances (The maximum will probably be off the paper! If so, just write down a max. number at the very top edge of the paper.)
Be sure to write down the number you get when the target is too close (i.e., closer than the minimum).
I expect to see at least a dozen readings written down.
Turn in the paper (roll it up and band it please), and be sure to write down your name(s) on it somewhere.

Invisible objects (?):

Fill in the table below with an estimate of the rateof detection (i.e., fraction of readings that indicate detection)

TARGET	20cm	40cm	60cm
Sponge
Pants
Chair leg (cylinder)
Table leg (square prism)

Sensor Interpretation

Hook up a servo (positional, that means unmodified!) to your Arduino
Move your servo to position in proportion to the target distance sensed by the sonar.
Make this movement as smooth and accurate as possible, in software!
Send me your code.

Assignment 7: Full Rover Control: "Obstacle Avoidance and Maze Escape"

Assigned: Thursday, April 5, 2018
Due: (TBA)
Steps:

You can start with this code from class: here.
I suggest you next work on getting the rover to move forward while avoiding obstacles. Test it in the corridors of our U-shaped maze. Focus on getting it to move forward while avoiding contact with the walls.
Next work on turning corners. For this you might want to implement WALL-FOLLOWING (that is, keeping an obstacle always on your left (or right) side). (That is just a suggestion; many strategies are possible for this!)
Next work on detecting the exit at the end of the maze and getting through it.

Grading:

At least 50% of the A7 grade will be based on how far your rover can get in 60 seconds:

>= C for getting to the "bottom" of the U.
>= B for getting past the bottom of the U.
A for escaping the maze.

TESTS and QUIZES