Schedule#
Note:The schedule below is tentative and subject to change.
π§ Module 1: Fundamentals#
Class 1 β Tue, Jan 20, 2026
Introduction
Goal: Introduce the course goals, expectations, and format.
Introduction
Goal: Introduce the course goals, expectations, and format.
- Slides: LINK TO SLIDES
Class 2 β Thu, Jan 22, 2026
Fundamentals Primer & The Paper "Draft"
Goal: Quick review of common terms and formulations in robotics literature and in-class sign up for paper presentations.
Fundamentals Primer & The Paper "Draft"
Goal: Quick review of common terms and formulations in robotics literature and in-class sign up for paper presentations.
- Slides: LINK TO SLIDES
Class 3 β Tue, Jan 27, 2026
Fundamentals 1: The Needs and Opportunities of Robots
Goal: We will start with a broad perspective about opportunities for robots and research progress over a longer horizon.
Fundamentals 1: The Needs and Opportunities of Robots
Goal: We will start with a broad perspective about opportunities for robots and research progress over a longer horizon.
Class 4 β Thu, Jan 29, 2026
Fundamentals 2: Moving Your Robot & Robot Systems
Goal: Robot research often involves deploying full-stack systems and inverse kinematics techniques.
Fundamentals 2: Moving Your Robot & Robot Systems
Goal: Robot research often involves deploying full-stack systems and inverse kinematics techniques.
Class 5 β Tue, Feb 3, 2026
Fundamentals 3: Planning Motions
Goal: Review of common planning techniques and modern optimization-based approaches.
Additional Resources:
Fundamentals 3: Planning Motions
Goal: Review of common planning techniques and modern optimization-based approaches.
Additional Resources:
- Collision-Affording Point Trees (recent high-performance path planning RSS paper)
π€ Module 2: Learning#
Class 6 β Thu, Feb 5, 2026
Learning Primer
Goal: Review high-level robot learning architectures and approaches.
Learning Primer
Goal: Review high-level robot learning architectures and approaches.
- Slides: LINK TO SLIDES
Class 7 β Tue, Feb 10, 2026
Learning 1: Foundations
Goal: Review classical learning techniques including movement primitives and behavior cloning.
Learning 1: Foundations
Goal: Review classical learning techniques including movement primitives and behavior cloning.
- Dynamical Movement Primitives: Learning Attractor Models for Motor Behaviors
- Behavioral Cloning from Observation
- ALVINN: An Autonomous Land Vehicle in a Neural Network (original BC paper)
- Generative Adversarial Imitation Learning (another historically popular learning technique)
Class 8 β Thu, Feb 12, 2026
Learning 2: End-to-End & Meta-Learning
Goal: Review impactful works enabling end-to-end learning and meta-learning approaches.
Learning 2: End-to-End & Meta-Learning
Goal: Review impactful works enabling end-to-end learning and meta-learning approaches.
Class 9 β Tue, Feb 17, 2026
Learning 3: Intermediate Representations
Goal: Explore learning with inferred reward functions and hierarchical correction.
Learning 3: Intermediate Representations
Goal: Explore learning with inferred reward functions and hierarchical correction.
Class 10 β Thu, Feb 19, 2026
Literature Review Workshop
Goal: Discuss and explore strategies for finding and evaluating robotics research.
Literature Review Workshop
Goal: Discuss and explore strategies for finding and evaluating robotics research.
- Slides: LINK TO SLIDES
Class 11 β Tue, Feb 24, 2026
Learning 4: The Rise of Generative Learning
Goal: Discuss a recent inflection point in generative robotic capabilities.
Learning 4: The Rise of Generative Learning
Goal: Discuss a recent inflection point in generative robotic capabilities.
Class 12 β Thu, Feb 26, 2026
Learning 5: Practical Considerations
Goal: Look at small design choices that impact learning systems.
Additional Resources:
Learning 5: Practical Considerations
Goal: Look at small design choices that impact learning systems.
Additional Resources:
- Much Ado About Noising: Dispelling the Myths of Generative Robotic Control (recent work questioning the need for architectural components in robotics generative models)
Class 13 β Tue, Mar 3, 2026
Learning 6: Frontiers
Goal: Look at recent VLAs, including an industry model and an emerging video model.
Learning 6: Frontiers
Goal: Look at recent VLAs, including an industry model and an emerging video model.
π§ Module 3: Interactive Systems#
Class 14 β Thu, Mar 5, 2026
Interactive Systems Primer
Goal: Introduce challenges and approaches for robot systems that work with people.
Interactive Systems Primer
Goal: Introduce challenges and approaches for robot systems that work with people.
- Slides: LINK TO SLIDES (coming soon)
- A Primer for Conducting Experiments in HumanβRobot Interaction (advice for structuring HRI experiments)
Class 15 β Tue, Mar 10, 2026
Interactive Systems 1: Teleoperation & Simplifying Human Input
Goal: Investigate lower level of autonomy systems for people to drive robot behavior.
Interactive Systems 1: Teleoperation & Simplifying Human Input
Goal: Investigate lower level of autonomy systems for people to drive robot behavior.
Class 16 β Thu, Mar 12, 2026
Implement Something: Mini Presentations
Goal: Lightning presentations of your mini implementation projects
Implement Something: Mini Presentations
Goal: Lightning presentations of your mini implementation projects
- Presentation slides: LINK COMING SOON.
Class 17 β Tue, Mar 17, 2026
ASYNCHRONOUS: Large Behavior Models
Goal: TRI has been one company leading the push on developing and evaluating foundation models for robotics. We will watch and dicuss a seminar related to their work.
ASYNCHRONOUS: Large Behavior Models
Goal: TRI has been one company leading the push on developing and evaluating foundation models for robotics. We will watch and dicuss a seminar related to their work.
- Watch this lecture by Russ Tedrake and comment on the piazza post
- A Careful Examination of Large Behavior Models for Multitask Dexterous Manipulation (complementary paper later released by Toyota Research Institute)
Class 18 β Thu, Mar 19, 2026
ASYNCHRONOUS: The Trajectory of Robotics Research and Human-Centered Robots
Goal:
ASYNCHRONOUS: The Trajectory of Robotics Research and Human-Centered Robots
Goal:
- Watch this lecture by Rodney Brooks and comment on the piazza post
- Rodney Brooks Prediction Scorecard (yearly assessment of AV/Robotics Progress and outlook)
Class 19 β Tue, Mar 24, 2026
Interactive Systems 2: HumanβRobot Collaboration
Goal: Introduces methods for settings of human-robot collaboration.
Interactive Systems 2: HumanβRobot Collaboration
Goal: Introduces methods for settings of human-robot collaboration.
Class 20 β Thu, Mar 26, 2026
Interactive Systems 3: Shared Autonomy
Goal: Introduces a classical and recent generative method for shared autonomy.
Interactive Systems 3: Shared Autonomy
Goal: Introduces a classical and recent generative method for shared autonomy.
Spring Break:Tue, Mar 31 & Thu, Apr 2 (No class)
π§ͺ Module 4: Simulation & Safety#
Class 21 β Tue, Apr 7, 2026
Interactive Systems 4: Minimizing User Input
Goal: Look at systems that try to strategically and sparingly use human input to reduce uncertainty.
Interactive Systems 4: Minimizing User Input
Goal: Look at systems that try to strategically and sparingly use human input to reduce uncertainty.
- Asking Easy Questions: A User-Friendly Approach to Active Reward Learning
- REALM: Real-Time Estimates of Assistance for Learned Models in Human-Robot Interaction
- INQUIRE: INteractive Querying for User-aware Informative REasoning (choosing human inputs based on informativeness in interactive learning)
Class 22 β Thu, Apr 9, 2026
Simulation & Sim-to-Real
Goal: Investigate the roal of simulation in robot learning.
Simulation & Sim-to-Real
Goal: Investigate the roal of simulation in robot learning.
Class 23 β Tue, Apr 14, 2026
Safety in Robotics
Goal: Explore definitions and techniques for enforcing safety.
Safety in Robotics
Goal: Explore definitions and techniques for enforcing safety.
π Module 5: Applications & Projects#
Class 24 β Thu, Apr 16, 2026
Applications 1: Mobile and Marine Robotics
Goal: Look at examples of robot platforms that can explore.
Applications 1: Mobile and Marine Robotics
Goal: Look at examples of robot platforms that can explore.
Class 25 β Tue, Apr 21, 2026
Applications 2: Quadrapeds and Humanoids
Goal: Look at examples of legged robot platforms.
Applications 2: Quadrapeds and Humanoids
Goal: Look at examples of legged robot platforms.
Class 26 β Thu, Apr 23, 2026
Applications 3: Assistive Robots and UAVs
Goal: Look at a final set of popular robot applications.
Applications 3: Assistive Robots and UAVs
Goal: Look at a final set of popular robot applications.
Class 27 β Tue, Apr 28, 2026
Project Presentations 1
Goal: Learn about the awesome work of your peers in the first day of final project presentations!
Project Presentations 1
Goal: Learn about the awesome work of your peers in the first day of final project presentations!
- Presentation slides: LINK TO SLIDES (coming soon).
Class 28 β Thu, Apr 30, 2026
Project Presentations 2
Goal: Learn about the awesome work of your peers in the first day of final project presentations!
Project Presentations 2
Goal: Learn about the awesome work of your peers in the first day of final project presentations!
- Presentation slides: LINK TO SLIDES (coming soon).