EECE 5550 Mobile Robotics
Lecture 1
Course Overview
Dr. Xian Li
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Northeastern University
●Ice breaking
●What’s robotics
●What’s a robot
●Canvas review
●Syllabus review
●Other activities (if needed)
Today’s Agenda
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Source: https://preview.redd.it/this-is-exactly-my-case-v0-1dni5ap22wgd1.jpeg?width=640&crop=smart&auto=webp&s=b0eeb2d71245cc87c8379ff50085ec28bd1e7daf
Who I am: Dr. Xian Li
3
Electrical and Computer EngineeringTeaching Professor
Mechanical and Aerospace EngineeringLecturer
Computer and Information SciencePost Doc
Mechanical EngineeringPh.D.
Prof. Li or Xian (Shawn)
Who are you?
4
●Name
●Prefer to be called
●Department and Major
●One thing excited or nervous about robotics
●Favorite robot (fictional or real)
From Britannica:
“The design, construction, and use of machines (robots) to perform tasks done traditionally by human beings.”
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What is Robotics?
From Britannica:
“The design, construction, and use of machines (robots) to perform tasks done traditionally by human beings.”
Robotics is an interdisciplinary branch of engineering and computer science.
○Grounded in real-world physics: mechanics, electromagnetism, optics, etc. …
○Entails fundamental problems in artificial intelligence: representation (of the world), planning (how to achieve the goal), and control (to execute the plan).
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What is Robotics?
We could just connect the sensors directly to the actuators
7
Physical World
Cyber World
Actuators
Sensors
Robot
Credit: Prof. Steve Shafer
Here, maybe we have a movement sensor and a bump sensor
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Physical World
Cyber World
Actuators
Sensors
“Move 4.6 meters or until you bump into something”
Credit: Prof. Steve Shafer
We need to reason about what we are doing, not just do it
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Physical World
Cyber World
Actuators
Sensors
“Go to the next door”
“Move 4.6 meters”
Credit: Prof. Steve Shafer
We might need to reason about things in a more purposeful way
7
Physical World
Cyber World
Actuators
Sensors
“Travel to Room 122”
“Go to the next door”
“Move 4.6 meters”
Credit: Prof. Steve Shafer
“Take a cup of tea to Professor Li”
We might need to reason about things at multiple levels of abstraction
7
Physical World
Cyber World
Actuators
Sensors
“Travel to Room 122”
“Go to the next door”
“Move 4.6 meters”
Credit: Prof. Steve Shafer
The Most Important Drawing About Robotics
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Physical World
Cyber World
Actuators
Sensors
Cognition
Perception
Action
Credit: Prof. Steve Shafer
Sense: Process sensor data to construct a model of the world
Think: Construct a plan to move from the current state to the goal state.
Act: Control actuators to execute the plan
The Most Important Drawing About Robotics
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THINK
ACT
SENSE
Manufacturing & Industry
What’s a robot?
9
Autonomous arms at Tesla
Autonomous robots at Amazon
Transportation & Mobility
What’s a robot?
10
Deliver packages: drone
Tesla - Self delivering Car
Agriculture
What’s a robot?
11
Source: https://www.precisionfarmingdealer.com/ext/resources/2024/12/23/Robotic-Planter.png
Robots in agriculture
Robots harvesting strawberries
Exploration
What’s a robot?
12
Perseverance Rover and Ingenuity Mars Helicopter
Ocean exploration robots
Source: https://www.whoi.edu/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/mesobot.jpg
Source: https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/pia23962-1041.jpg
Academic & Education
What’s a robot?
13
Turtlebot 4
Reachy Mini education/programming robot
Source: https://s3.amazonaws.com/assets.clearpathrobotics.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/02155608/TurtleBot4-web-43.jpg
Source: https://cdn-uploads.huggingface.co/production/uploads/671faa3a541a76b548647676/uEa13KsL5wtQREVZ1ixwc.png
Home Services
What’s a robot?
14
Robot vacuum cleaners
Robot lawn mower
Source: https://platform.theverge.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/08/djiromo2.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0,0,100,100
Source: https://cdn-uploads.huggingface.co/production/uploads/671faa3a541a76b548647676/uEa13KsL5wtQREVZ1ixwc.png
Healthcare & Medicine
What’s a robot?
15
Da Vinci Robotic Surgical Systems
Exoskeletons
Source: https://www.digitalengineering247.com/images/article/Figure_1.Ekso_Bionics_.jpg
Source: https://urologyaustin.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/iStock-511732538.jpg
Keep pushing boundaries…
What’s a robot?
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Multiple Backhandsprings
The course at a glance
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ROS 2 Jazzy on Ubuntu 24.04
One robot per team of three
- Lab 1ROS 2 on the robot, on your own
- Lab 2Dead reckoning and sensors
- Lab 3Fusion and mapping
- Lab 4Navigation with Nav2
- Lab 5Perception for the race
- FinalCardboard Canyon Rally: an autonomous race
What’s next
20
●Canvas Review
●Syllabus Review
●Other activities (if needed)