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TECH 01 — Introduction to Robotics: Building Your First Robot

Quarter: Winter
Instructor(s): Prasad Saripalli
Duration: 8 weeks
Location: Online
Date(s): Jan 30—Mar 20
Class Recording Available: Yes
Class Meeting Day: Thursdays
Grade Restriction: No letter grade
Class Meeting Time: 6:00—7:30 pm (PT)
Tuition: $460
   
Refund Deadline: Feb 1
 
Unit(s): 1
   
Enrollment Limit: 50
  
Status: Open
 
Quarter: Winter
Day: Thursdays
Duration: 8 weeks
Time: 6:00—7:30 pm (PT)
Date(s): Jan 30—Mar 20
Unit(s): 1
Location: Online
 
Tuition: $460
 
Refund Deadline: Feb 1
 
Instructor(s): Prasad Saripalli
 
Grade Restriction: No letter grade
 
Enrollment Limit: 50
 
Recording Available: Yes
 
Status: Open
 
Robots, once commonplace in science fiction, are now commonplace in everyday life. They take many forms, ranging from stationary industrial robots used in manufacturing to autonomous robots operating in unpredictable, real-life environments without human guidance. This has created a demand for skilled labor by companies looking to deploy robots to improve efficiency, productivity, and safety. This course is designed for those who are either curious about robotics or interested in taking their first step into a new career. It will provide the groundwork for students to pursue their interests in robot programming, control systems, and sensors. In addition to lectures and lab demos, students will be guided through basic kits to build and program their robots. Students will learn basic component structures, learn about robotics’ core techniques, and develop critical thinking and troubleshooting skills. Upon completion, students will be equipped to explore opportunities in diverse fields such as manufacturing, healthcare, transportation, and R&D.

Basic preparation in physics and mathematics as well as a deep interest and curiosity about robotics are required. A background in engineering, computer science, business, or programming would be helpful.

PRASAD SARIPALLI
Vice President of ML and AI and Distinguished Engineer, MindBody

Prasad Saripalli has served as CTO and vice president of engineering at Secrata, which provides military-grade cloud security solutions using ML. He was also CTO and executive vice president at ClipCard as well as chief architect for IBM's SmartCloud Enterprise. Additionally, he served as group product manager of Microsoft's client virtualization products. He teaches graduate courses in AI, ML, advanced ML, NLP, and distributed systems at Northeastern and in the University of Washington system. He received an MS in computer science from Washington State and two PhDs from the University of Florida, in computer science and environmental systems engineering.

Textbooks for this course:

(Required) Maja J. Mataric, The Robotics Primer (ISBN 978-0262633543 )
(Required) Saeed B. Niku, Introduction to Robotics: Analysis, Control, Applications, 2rd Edition (ISBN 978-0470604465)
(Required) Peter J. Bentley , Artificial Intelligence and Robotics (ISBN 978-1421439723 )