Course Outline

Week 01

Introduction

  • What Makes a Robot Intelligent?

Physical vs. Virtual Robots

  • Smart Robots, Advanced Machines, Sentient Systems, and Robotic Process Automation (RPA), etc.

The Role of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Robotics

  • Beyond Simple Conditional Logic: The Learning Machine
  • AI Algorithms
  • Machine Learning, Computer Vision, Natural Language Processing (NLP), etc.
  • Cognitive Robotics

The Role of Big Data in Robotics

  • Decision-Making Based on Data and Patterns

The Cloud and Robotics

  • Integrating Robotics with IT
  • Developing More Functional Robots that Access Information and Collaborate

Case Study: Industrial Robots

  • Mechanical Robots
    • Baxter
  • Robots in Nuclear Facilities
    • Radiation Detection and Protection
  • Robots in Nuclear Reactors
    • Radiation Detection and Protection

Hardware Components of a Robot

  • Motors, Sensors, Microcontrollers, Cameras, etc.

Common Elements of Robots

  • Machine Vision, Voice Recognition, Speech Synthesis, Proximity Sensing, Pressure Sensing, etc.

Development Frameworks for Programming a Robot

  • Open Source and Commercial Frameworks
  • Robot Operating System (ROS)
    • Architecture: Workspace, Topics, Messages, Services, Nodes, Actionlibs, Tools, etc.

Languages for Programming a Robot

  • C++ for Low-Level Control
  • Python for Orchestration
  • Programming ROS Nodes in Python and C++
  • Other Languages

Tools for Simulating a Physical Robot

  • Commercial and Open Source 3D Simulation and Visualization Software

Week 02

Preparing the Development Environment

  • Software Installation and Setup
  • Useful Packages and Utilities

Case Study: Mechanical Robots

  • Robots in Nuclear Technology
  • Robots in Environmental Systems

Programming the Robot

  • Programming a Node in Python and C++
  • Understanding ROS Nodes
  • Messages and Topics in ROS
  • Publication/Subscription Paradigm
  • Project: Bump & Go with Real Robot
  • Troubleshooting
  • Simulation of Robots with Gazebo/ROS
  • Frames in ROS and Reference Changes
  • 2D Information Processing of Cameras with OpenCV
  • Information Processing of a Laser
  • Project: Safe Tracking of Objects by Color
  • Troubleshooting

Week 03

Programming the Robot (Continued)

  • Services in ROS
  • 3D Information Processing of RGB-D Sensors with PCL
  • Maps and Navigation with ROS
  • Project: Search for Objects in the Environment
  • Troubleshooting

Programming the Robot (Continued)

  • ActionLib
  • Speech Recognition and Generation
  • Controlling Robotic Arms with MoveIt!
  • Controlling Robotic Neck for Active Vision
  • Project: Search and Collection of Objects
  • Troubleshooting

Testing Your Robot

  • Unit Testing

Week 04

Extending a Robot's Capabilities with Deep Learning

  • Perception -- Vision, Audio, and Haptics
  • Knowledge Representation
  • Voice Recognition through NLP (Natural Language Processing)
  • Computer Vision

Crash Course in Deep Learning

  • Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs)
  • Artificial Neural Networks vs. Biological Neural Networks
  • Feedforward Neural Networks
  • Activation Functions
  • Training Artificial Neural Networks

Crash Course in Deep Learning (Continued)

  • Deep Learning Models
    • Convolutional Networks and Recurrent Networks
  • Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs or ConvNets)
    • Convolution Layer
    • Pooling Layer
    • Convolutional Neural Networks Architecture

Week 05

Crash Course in Deep Learning (Continued)

  • Recurrent Neural Networks (RNNs)
    • Training an RNN
    • Stabilizing Gradients During Training
    • Long Short-Term Memory Networks
  • Deep Learning Platforms and Software Libraries
    • Deep Learning in ROS

Using Big Data in Your Robot

  • Big Data Concepts
  • Approaches to Data Analysis
  • Big Data Tooling
  • Recognizing Patterns in the Data
  • Exercise: NLP and Computer Vision on Large Data Sets

Using Big Data in Your Robot (Continued)

  • Distributed Processing of Large Data Sets
  • Coexistence and Cross-Fertilization of Big Data and Robotics
  • The Robot as a Generator of Data
    • Range Measuring Sensors, Position, Visual, Tactile Sensors, and Other Modalities
  • Making Sense of Sensory Data (Sense-Plan-Act Loop)
  • Exercise: Capturing Streaming Data

Programming an Autonomous Deep Learning Robot

  • Deep Learning Robot Components
  • Setting Up the Robot Simulator
  • Running a CUDA-Accelerated Neural Network with Caffe
  • Troubleshooting

Week 06

Programming an Autonomous Deep Learning Robot (Continued)

  • Recognizing Objects in Photographs or Video Streams
  • Enabling Computer Vision with OpenCV
  • Troubleshooting

Data Analytics for Government

  • Using the Robot to Collect and Organize New Data
  • Tools and Processes for Making Sense of the Data

Deploying a Robot

  • Transitioning a Simulated Robot to Physical Hardware
  • Deploying the Robot in the Physical World
  • Monitoring and Servicing Robots in the Field

Securing Your Robot

  • Preventing Unauthorized Tampering
  • Preventing Hackers from Viewing and Stealing Sensitive Data

Building a Robot Collaboratively

  • Building a Robot in the Cloud
  • Joining the Robotics Community

Future Outlook for Robots in the Science and Energy Field

Summary and Conclusion

Requirements

  • Programming experience in C or C++
  • Programming experience in Python (beneficial but not required; can be included as part of the course)
  • Experience with Linux command line operations

Audience for Government

  • Developers
  • Engineers
  • Scientists
  • Technicians
 120 Hours

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