Mike Stilman’s Robot Intelligence is a Class Act

If you have any interest in making robots do tons of cool stuff in the real world, you owe it to yourself to take CS 4803 - Robot Intelligence: Planning in Action(Yes, it’s actually called RIP). Taught by Mike Stilman, the class doesn’t have any prerequisites - anybody who wants to can take the class. You’ll learn about planning, kinematic motion, control theory, and pretty much anything else that you need to learn to make a robot move intelligently. The projects are all group-based and satisfying; while they can be a lot of work at times, you’re learning a lot about designing and implementing planning algorithms, with custom-made simulators letting you know when you attemptto drive your robotic arm straight
through the table.

Sample student projects include reprogramming a Roomba to be more intelligent and teaching a robotic arm how to successfully play Jenga. It’s a class that demands you put in the time you need to make your project work, but the students in the class find it extremely rewarding. The best part of the class, however, is probably the professor himself.

I have never met anyone more enthusiastic about robots than Mike Stilman; he absolutely loves robotics, and goes out of his way to help you find cool ideas to work on. The excitement he has carries over to the students, who already want to make cool robots. The class is one of the most energetic and involved I’ve been to at Tech; the information in the class is understandable and immediately applicable, and the students and teacher encourage each other to think outside the box.

If you have any interest in robotics, thisis the course for you!