ME 115(a,b): Introduction to Kinematics and Robotics

Winter/Spring 2007-2008



Class Schedule

The class will be held MWF at 10:00-10:55 a.m. in Thomas 306.

Instructor: Prof. Joel W. Burdick

T.A.: Jeremy Ma

Course Information

Course Texts

The main course text is A Mathematical Introduction to Robotic Manipulation , by Murray, Li, and Sastry. The text is often refered to as "MLS". While the list of topics studied in this course will closely follow the subjects in this text, we will not always strictly follow the text. Thus, class attendence is wise.

A useful text for the second half of the course is: Planning Algorithms by Steve LaValle (UIUC). You can buy this book on-line at Amazon . Also, a preprint of the text is available freely on-line . This book provides a comprehensive summary of classical motion planning theory. It also includes excellent reference material on information-space approaches to planning, and evasion-pursuit algorithms (some of LaValle's research). While these subjects are beyond the immediate scope of this class, they accessible to interested students.

Other Possibly Useful Information


Questions and complaints should be addressed to:
jwb@robotics.caltech.edu