Summer Training - Robotics
Synopsis
- Faculty from India and abroad.
- Competition style project based learning.
- Free kit for each student (kit description below).
- Access to discounted parts at the end of the workshop.
- Opportunity to sign up for a discount to the advanced summer camp.
- Cost of entire training program including taxes.
- Study material on CD.
- Certificate.
To give the student and enthusiast community something new, exciting and continue the pioneering ways of IURS, we have completely redesigned our course structure to ensure that the students not only get the best possible introduction to robotics but also have a chance to participate in designing, constructing and programming robots while also preparing themselves to be able to compete in robotics competitions that require solving dynamic complex tasks. The course will now follow a project based teaching style followed by internal competitions between the students!
From this perspective and to ensure the best possible learning experience, IURS has engaged not only its own team members, educated in India and abroad, as faculty but also talented researchers who hail from or studied in USA, Canada, Germany, Romania, Bulgaria, Iran and others, not as guest lecturers but as full-time faculty for the course.
Prerequisites: Familiarity with programming in any language.
Registration Deadline : 5 Jun 2008 (On spot may also be accepted for higher charges)
Dates:
16 Jun 2008 - 25 Jun 2008
Note: Due to some competition particiaption dates being changed we unfortunately need to cancel the second batch. We regret the inconvenience this may cause.
Timings: 10.00AM to 4.00PM.
Duration: 60 Hrs / 10 Days of supervised practical and theoretical training.
Venue
Indian Retail School
Site 2, Pocket OCF, Sector C, Vasant Kunj
Nelson Mandela Road
Delhi - 110070
Accommodation: Facilities will be made available - please ensure you inform us that you will need accommodation.
Hands on Guided Tasks
Project |
Description |
Build your first robot |
This project will be utilized to familiarize the summer camp participants with the concepts of designing and building a small robot that is capable of performing multiple tasks. As part of the project, students will be introduced to and have an opporty to work on:
- Programming the ATMega AVR.
- Sensor interfacing & calibration.
- Actuator (DC, Servo, Stepper) control.
- Mechanical design & construction of a small robot.
To complete the goal of introducing students to robotics the following robotic tasks will be taught and a mini-competition held between students:
- Multi-color line following robot.
- Obstacle avoidance robot.
- Sumo fighting robots.
The goal of the exercise will be not only to teach students to make their robots work in controlled simple basic environments but also the ability to interact with other robotic devices that add a falvor of dynamism.
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Pathfinder |
Having completed the first robot, each roboteer will now embark on a journey to not just build robots that perform simple acts like following lines or avoiding obstacles - but making their robots smarter and able to complete more complex tasks.
At this point, students will configure and program their robots to be able to navigate a course that has multiple possible routes to the final destination but in order to get there, the robots will either have to avoid obstacles that appear in the path by going around them or backtracking to a location from where they can try another path. Of course, choosing a path may not be so easy as they will intersect!
Once again a mini-competition will be held and special certificates to the winners. |
Labyrinth escape |
This next project will deal with the students being taught to make their robots solve a maze by locating its exit point, irrespective of where they were placed in the maze.
However, to add a twist of unpredictability and make the environment highly dynamic they will need to avoid virtual obstacles made of lights that will essentially "block" the entrance to a particular pathway. Interacting with changing lights, randomly appearing and disappearing virtual objects while trying to solve a maze can make this task quite daunting.
Winners of the mini-competition will be awarded special certificates at this point too!
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Grid goal |
Robots must now step it up a notch! Each robot must be able to find and count targets that are located within a grid of intersecting lines while sticking to a path that is strictly defined. While navigating the grid the robots must avoid running in to other multiple robots that will also populate the arena at the same time.
As simple as it may sound, this challenge will require the robots to perform various tasks at the same time requiring a high degree of complexity and intelligence on the part of the robot.
Students at this point wil also start getting introduced to concepts of machine vision.
Special certificates to winners of the mini-competition at this stage as well.
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Target chase |
This last project will immerse students in to concepts of machine vision and PC controlled computer vision robots that perform real-time image processing.
Each robot will now have to demonstrate the ability to locate a specified color/pattern area marked on the floor using an overhead camera available to them. The floor will have an area that the robot is allowed to move on while it pursues its target color/pattern and another part that is disallowed. To add to the complexity the robot will also need to be able to utilize the overhead camera to track the target which may periodically change its location.
The camera will be connected to a PC in order to boost processing capabilities and so while performing all the other tasks the robot must also be able to communicate wirelessly with the PC. Special certificates awarded to winners.
Students will have got in-depth grasp of using wireless communication technologies for robotics along with computer vision systems.
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Introduction Discussion with Demonstration/Walk-Through
- Stair climber robot.
- Robotic arm.
- Micromouse.
- Autonomous all-terrain rover.
- Autonomous underwater robot (AUV).
- Autonomous sea-surface robot (ASV).
- Embedded microcontroller based image processing object tracking robot.
- Computer controlled autonomous robot.
- Robotic Soccer.
 Kit Contents
ATMega16 Based Development Board
RS-232 Communication Port
LCD Screen
Sharp GP2D120 IR Distance Sensor
Light Sensors
AVR In-System Programmer
Chassis with wheels & castors
DC motors
12V DC Adapter
Study material and manual
Course Contents
- Introduction to Robotics
- What is a robot?
- History of robotics.
- Tyes of robots.
- Applications of robotics.
- Current and future market scenarios.
- Robotic Locomotion
- Introduction to Terrestrial, Underwater and Aerial locomotion.
- Different types of motors (DC, Stepper, Servo) - comparison & characteristics.
- Legged robots.
- Dimensionality of motion - 2D & 3D control.
- Introduction to Microcontroller
- Types of Microcontrollers.
- Choosing a Microcontroller for a specific purpose.
- Details on ATmega AVR based microcontrollers.
- Programming the ATMega AVR.
- Interfacing and controlling actuators.
- Sensor systems interfacing, processing and calibration.
- Communication with secondary controllers or PCs.
- Master-Slave operation.
- Remotely Operated Robots
- Stationary Robotics
- Introduction to robotic arms.
- Multiple degrees of freedom.
- Control of robotic arm via PC & other methods.
- Mobile Robotics - Terrestrial & Underwater
- Wired and wireless control systems.
- Mechanical design.
- Teleoperation.
- Sensor telemetry.
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- Sensor Arrays
- Passive and active sensors.
- Navigational systems.
- Sensor design.
- Interfacing - Analog, Digital, I2C.
- Optimum positioning of sensors.
- Ensuring optimum sensor outputs.
- Autonomous Robots
- Introduction to Artificial Intelligence concepts.
- Autonomous navigational systems.
- Multi-agent systems.
- Cooperative robotics.
- Sensor arrays for autonomous control.
- Multi-sensor data fusion.
- Algorithm design.
- Terrestrial Mobile Robotics.
- Autonomous Underwater Vehicles.
- PC Based Robotics
- Computer Vision
- Image capture methods.
- Real-time image processing.
- Histogram techniques.
- Image normalization.
- Edge detection.
- Blob tracking.
- Target recognition and tracking.
- Vision based robot control.
- PC to robot control
- Serial Communication (TTL, RS232).
- Parallel Port Communication.
- USB Communication.
- Bluetooth wireless communication.
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Cost:
In order to ensure the best possible venue for students we are
providing early registration discounts. Please refer to the table below in order to get pricing details.
Registration Payment Received By |
Amount |
March 20, 2008 |
Rs. 7,500 (Non-IURS Members)
Rs. 6,800 (IURS Members)
|
April 10, 2008 |
Rs. 8,200 (Non-IURS Members)
Rs. 7,500 (IURS Members) |
May 10, 2008 |
Rs. 8,500 (Non-IURS Members)
Rs. 7,800 (IURS Members) |
After Jun 5, 2008 or On Spot |
Rs. 9,000 (Non-IURS Members)
Rs. 8,500 (IURS Members) |
Group Discount: In case you wish to participate in a group of three or more, you will be provided
with one kit for the entire group with a cost of Rs. 6500 per group member. (Please call for registration instructions)
Course Description
This summer camp course for college students and enthusiasts aims to provide them with a sound foundation out of theoretical and practical hands on knowledge and experience in the field of robotics. The course will provide students insight in to intelligent systems, remotely operated and autonomous robots and unmanned systems.
Through the course of this workshop, the student will have an opportunity to work on plentiful hands on projects, thereby enabling them to construct intelligent autonomous robots to perform a variety of tasks. All the modules shown above in the course description and the hands on projects will be covered during the length of this course. The provided kit will enable students to continue their experiments, and take the vast sea of knowledge gained from this course, towards building more complex machines.
Globally, the robotics industry and academic community is working on complex machines that require in-depth knowledge of a variety of fields ranging from computer science and electronics engineering to mechanical engineering and aerospace design. This course will equip students with the basic tenets of all these fields.
The Faculty
The faculty of this course has been educated, and even are from, the USA, Canada, India, Germany, Romania, Bulgaria and other countries. Having won many international meritorious awards and conducted research in the fields of intelligent systems and robotics, this diverse group of individuals is highly qualified to train students in this field. Moreover, experience in conducting various workshops in USA and India has given the faculty world-class experience in ensuring the highest levels of academic excellence throughout the course. Furthermore, students stand to benefit from this dynamic and highly talented faculty through the active research programs of IURS and their own home institutions, in which they are involved, as well. This faculty has won numerous international awards, published many papers and holds various patents in their relevant fields.
Click here for more information on the faculty.
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