CMPSCI 503(591C) -- Syllabus

UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS
Computer Science Department

CMPSCI 503(591C)

Embedded Systems

Fall 2011

Rod Grupen

Fall 2011 Course Information

We will play with concepts fundamental to embedded control applications while designing and building our own stand-alone robots with embedded processors. This is a laboratory oriented class requiring laboratory skills and methods - this course is hands on!

The Embedded Systems course is an introduction to hardware/software solutions. We will invent a robot to compete is a series of challenges against other teams in the class. It is as much an introduction to collaborative problem solving and project planning as it is to hands-on skills, simple mechanical design, simple circuit analysis, and lab methods.

The goals of this course include:

an introduction to hardware and software systems consisting of an embedded processor, an electronic interface, and a physical plant,

to develop analytical skills and design tools at the intersection of Engineering and Computer Science,

to introduce techniques for controlling integrated systems, and

to invent a robot (as part of a group) including sensors, motor drivers, I/O, and control logic for an embedded application---every student will participate in the design, implementation, and programming.

This is a laboratory oriented class. Most of what we do and the time we spend together will be hands on. The nominal "lecture" time (Tuesday & Thursday 2:30-3:45 LGRC 311) will be used to speak to the group and introduce background and things necessary to do lab projects. The extra "lab" time (Monday, Wednesday, Friday 2:30-3:45 LGRC 311) are to be used as office hours and flexible time that you can use to finish up that week's project. You have all registered for one of these MWF sessions to make sure that you have the time available.

Prerequisites: consent of instructor

Credit: 3 units

Instructor:

Rod Grupen, grupen 'at' cs 'dot' umass 'dot' edu, 545-3280 (office), 577-0618 (lab)

Grading:

Lab conduct/methodology (50%)
- approximately 12 weekly lab notebook reports, 1 page due every thursday (student or group)
- methodology - planning, execution, "citizenship"
Class participation - (10% total)
3-5 team challenge competitions (20%)
Final Competition and Report (one per team) (15%)
team self-evaluation (5%)

Required text:

"Mobile Robots - Inspiration to Implementation," second edition, Jones, Flynn, and Seiger, A K Peters, 1999.

Recommended texts:

"The Art of Electronics," second edition, Paul Horowitz, and Winfield Hill, Cambridge University Press, NY, NY, 1989.
"Real-Time Systems and Programming Languages," second edition, Alan Burns and Andy Wellings, Addison-Wesley, Edinburgh, UK, 1997.
"The Developmental Organization of Robot Behavior (DORB)" Rod Grupen

UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS Computer Science Department CMPSCI 503(591C) Embedded Systems Fall 2011 Rod Grupen

UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS
Computer Science Department

CMPSCI 503(591C)

Embedded Systems

Fall 2011

Rod Grupen