Instructor:

Zhi Jane Li

Email: zli11 [at] wpi.edu

Time & Location: Mon & Wed, 1:00-2:20 pm

Office Hour: Wednesday 3:00-4:00 pm

Link to Synchronous Lecture: https://wpi.zoom.us/j/5598080892 

Overview:

This course will introduce the fundamental concepts and theories of human-robot interaction, as well as research methodologies. The lecture topics include: (1) Framework of human-robot teaming; (2) Level of autonomy; (3) human-robot interfaces for direct and supervisory control; (4) methods and metrics for evaluating interface usability; and (5) user study design. It will refer to the recent research papers to exemplify the design of human-robot interfaces and robot autonomy for cognitive and physical assistance, as well as the interfaces and approaches for robot learning from human demonstrations. Students in this course will work on (1) Individual Paper Reading and Team Literature review; (2) Algorithm implementation; and (3) Courses Projects of design and/or evaluation human-robot interfaces

Course syllabus and Schedule:

• Syllabus
• Schedule

Prerequisites:

Programming in Python.

Recommended Skills:

ROS, Gazebo.

Reference books:

• Thomaz, Andrea, Guy Hoffman, and Maya Cakmak. “Computational human-robot interaction.” Foundations and Trends® in Robotics 4, no. 2-3 (2016): 105-223.
• Siciliano, Bruno, and Oussama Khatib, Springer handbook of robotics. 2nd ed. Springer, 2016. (Free access through WPI library)
• Chernova, Sonia, and Andrea L. Thomaz. “Robot learning from human teachers.” Synthesis Lectures on Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning 8, no. 3 (2014): 1-121.
• John J. Craig , Introduction to Robotics: Mechanics and Control (3rd Edition), Pearson, 2004

Lecture Topics and Reading List:

• Fall 2020
• Fall 2019

Papers for Algorithm Implementation & Literature Review:

• Fall 2020
• Fall 2019

Grading:

• Individual paper reading 15%
  • Instructor will assign papers for reading weakly;
  • Students will choose one paper from the weekly reading assignment, and submit 8-10 slides (with notes) to present your understanding.
• Literature review 15%
  • Instructor will provide the list of topics and papers;
    Each project team will (1) review 10-12 papers on a research topic, (2) submit slides with notes as the literature review report and (3) deliver team presentations.
• Algorithm Implementation 20%
  • Instructor will provide a list of papers for algorithm implementation;
  • Students will (1) choose one paper in the list, (2) implement the algorithm in Python, and (3) present a demonstration in simulation, as part of the final project report and presentation.
• Project 50%
  • Project proposal report 10%
  • Project proposal presentation 10%
  • Project final report 15%
  • Project final presentation 15%
• Flexibility
  • Coursework Replacement
    • Students who prefer to work more on coding robots may replace individual paper reading (15%) with equivalent efforts of additional algorithm implementation work.
  • Extra Credits for In-Class Participation
    • Students are highly encouraged to attend the synchronous lecture;
    • Extra credits will be assigned based on the lecture attendance and participation.

Resources:

• Springer Handbook Of Robotics, 2nd edition, by Bruno Siciliano (available via WPI library)
• Feedback Systems: An Introduction for Scientists and Engineers, 2nd Edition, by KJ Astrom and R. M. Murray
• Linear Algebra Review and Reference by Zico Kolter (updated by Chuong Do)
• Probability Review
• How to convert a continuous system to a discrete system
• A guideline for project evaluation by Jane Li
• How to read a paper by Dmitry Berenson
• How to Write a Conference Paper by Dmitry Berenson
• Research Paper Review Guidelines by Dmitry Berenson
• Presentation Guidelines by Dmitry Berenson
• Presentation Grading Sheet by Dmitry Berenson
• Project Proposal Guidelines by Dmitry Berenson
• Project Progress Report Guidelines by Dmitry Berenson