Robotics, Autonomous Vehicles, Drones, and Artificial Intelligence

This course explores the field of artificial intelligence (AI), robotics, autonomous vehicles, and drones. We are at the forefront of a revolution that can fundamentally change a multitude of industries and transform our society, such as self-driving, autonomous cars; same-day drone delivery; and AI-powered personal robotic assistants and laborers. There is tremendous growth and opportunities in this space with billions of dollars being invested and expected market growth of 10-15 percent annually. This course explores the theories, tools, and processes that enable these technologies and the challenges, limitations, and capabilities of modern robotics, autonomous vehicles, drones, and AI technologies. Students learn about AI and sensor technologies for automation, autonomy from a systems perspective, vision-based perception and techniques, modern machine learning algorithms, mathematical modeling and abstraction, and engineering design. The goal is to develop a fundamental toolkit to advance the field and become part of the next generation of futurists and technologists.