Overview

Welcome to "Introduction to Humanoid Robotics" (ECE 598 JK, JKO) for Fall 2022.

Over the last two decades, humanoid robots have become more prevalent as the demand for companion robots at home or rescue robots in the dangerous environments grows. This course covers various topics in humanoid robotics research, from basic knowledge to the recent publications. Students will practice essential research skills including reviewing papers, writing project proposals & papers, and presenting them.



Schedule

Here is a tentative schedule of lectures, materials, assignments, and final project. The class meets on Tuesday and Thursday from 2:00 to 3:20 pm CT, mostly at ECEB 2074 for Computer Science or over Zoom. Materials and assignments will be added as they become available.
DATE
LOCATION
TOPIC
MATERIALS
ASSIGNMENTS
1 Tue, 8/23 ECEB 2074 Introduction to the course - -
2 Th, 8/25 ECEB 2074 Overview of humanoid robot system - -
3 Tue, 8/30 ECEB 2074 Components in humanoid robot system - -
4 Th, 9/1 ECEB 2074 MINI pick-up and overview - -
5 Tue, 9/6 ECEB 2074 Humanoid motion - -
6 Th, 9/8 ECEB 2074 Kinematics & dynamics review (1) - -
7 Tue, 9/13 ECEB 2074 Kinematics & dynamics review (2) - -
8 Th, 9/15 ECEB 2074 MINI kinematics and making motions - -
9 Tue, 9/20 ECEB 2074 Simulation tools (1) - -
10 Th, 9/22 ECEB 2074 Simulation tools (2) - -
11 Tue, 9/27 ECEB 2074 Legged locomotion (1) - -
12 Th, 9/29 - No Class - -
13 Tue, 10/4 ECEB 2074 Project proposal pitch - -
14 Th, 10/6 ECEB 2074 Legged locomotion (2) - -
15 Tue, 10/11 ECEB 2074 Biped locomotion (1) - -
16 Th, 10/13 ECEB 2074 Biped locomotion (2) - -
17 Tue, 10/18 ECEB 2074 Simulation tool - -
18 Th, 10/20 ECEB 2074 Biped locomotion (3) - -
19 Tue, 10/25 ECEB 2074 Motion data and its applications in humanoids - -
20 Th, 10/27 KIMLAB Motion Capture - -
21 Tue, 11/1 ECEB 2074 Hierarchical approaches for motion control (1) - -
22 Th, 11/3 ECEB 2074 Hierarchical approaches for motion control (2) - -
23 Tue, 11/8 - No Class (Election Day) - -
24 Th, 11/10 ECEB 2074 TBD - -
25 Tue, 11/15 ECEB 2074 Human-Humanoid interaction (1) - -
26 Th, 11/17 ECEB 2074 Human-Humanoid interaction (2) - -
THANKSGIVING WEEK - -
27 Tue, 11/29 ECEB 2074 Project Presentations (1) - -
28 Th, 12/1 ECEB 2074 Project Presentations (2) - -
29 Tue, 12/6 ECEB 2074 MINI return, class wrap-up and beyond - -

Course Staff


Information

Grading Prerequisites
ECE 470 (Introduction to Robotics, ME 445, AE 482) or ECE 489 (Robot Dynamics and Control, ME 446, GE 422): recommended, not required.

Office hours

Related Links

Course Links
Reference Books

Project

The project in this class is an open-ended research project. Teams can choose their own topics through discussions with team members and instructors. The main deliverables of the project are:

Proposal and Proposal Pitch (5% each)
Each team needs to submit a proposal (2-3 page length) including a statement of the problem, a literature survey on the problem, a potential solution, and a timeline. Also, a team will make a 10 min proposal pitch (7 min presentation and 3 min Q&A) to discuss the proposal and its challenges.

Progress Report (10%)
Teams will describe the progress of their projects in the 2-page progress reports. Adjustments of projects can be made in this progress reports.

Project Presentation (10%)
A 15 min presentation (12 min presentation 3 min Q&A) will be made to show the final results of the project.

Final Report (15%)
A team needs to submit a final report with IEEE conference paper style in LaTex.

Available Resources
More hardware resources (sensors, single board computers, 3D printed parts or other robots) are available and can be supported upon request for the project.