Skip to content

Policies - Spring 2026

Course Description

Goals: By the end of this course, you will gain an understanding of the key concepts involved in designing and evaluating autonomous systems. These concepts can be organized around three core tasks: (a) sensing, perception, and state estimation; (b) decision making, planning, and control; and (c) evaluation and correctness arguments based on formal verification. Machine learning techniques play an important role across all three tasks. You will also gain hands-on experience implementing algorithms and models using state-of-the-art software tools. Finally, the course provides practical experience in engineering a complete autonomy stack for a sensor-rich platform—such as a full-sized vehicle, a quadrotor, or a scaled vehicle—with particular emphasis on rigorous evaluation.

Expectations: You are expected to (a) attend lectures (TTh 11–12:30) and keep up with the material through the suggested exercises; (b) complete four homework and programming assignments; (c) attend Friday lab sections to discuss and work through assignments; (d) prepare for and take three in-class midterms; and (e) complete a substantial autonomy project. Additional details are provided below.

Assignments (a.k.a MPs)

There will be 4 Machine Problems (MPs) involving coding in Python and ROS and experimentation. You will work with your teammates to implement lane detectors, path planners, localization algorithms, and use latest tools for vehicle simulation and verification. Lab sessions will help you get started with the MPs. Each MP will have a submission deadline (usually Friday. 11:59 PM). See the Assignment page for more details.

Tech requirements: For the assignments, you will be programming with ROS. More details are provided on the Resources page.

Friday Labs

Laboratory sections are held in ECEB 5072 on Fridays to help you learn about the assignment of the week, learn ROS2 and related autonomy software and simulators, and also demo your work to TAs.

Session TA CA
AB1 (9am-10am) Fatemeh
AB2 (10am-11am) James
AB3 (11am-12pm) Will
AB4 (12pm-1pm) Alex
AB5 (1pm-2pm) Hanna
AB6 (4pm-5pm) Abhishek

Each week after a new MP is released, your entire group will have to attend your respective lab section. These labs will introduce the MP, the related software, and also teach you the necessary tools. The lab attendance is taken as a group and counts towards your MP score.

Each week an MP is due,  your entire group will have to attend your registered lab section to demo the MP. Your MP will be graded in part based on this demo. This demo will include a short 2-3 question oral exam to check your understanding of the MP concepts and code.

Follow these rules when using the lab machines:

  • ROS2 and Gazebo must be killed after using and cannot be left running after logging out.

  • Do not shut down the machine. Log out your account when you are not using the machine.

Homeworks

There will be 4 homework assignments (HW). The homework exercises are going to help you learn the mathematical concepts and prepare for the midterm exams. You will solve the homework problems individually and they are released and due alongside the MPs.

Exams

Three in-class, pencil-paper midterms will test you on core concepts. Sample exams may or may not be released, however, the exercises in the course reader and the homework will provide many practice problems.

Project

The team project is your opportunity to impress and build your own autonomous vehicle! The project will be graded based on presentation, results, organization. Additional details are available here

Grading

  • MPs (mostly team): 35%

  • HWs (individual): 4 x 2.5 = 10%

  • Mini Project (team): 25%

  • Midterms (individual): 3 x 10 = 30%

Course material

The course reader and the lecture slides will serve as the primary source material. There is no required textbook. We will also use material from the following reference texts:

Individual and team work

For the team-based work, you will work in groups of 3 or 4  for the class project, labs, and the MPs. On the first week of class, you will have to create your team within your lab sections (AB1-AB5). Homework assignments and exams will be solo activities for each of you to engage deeply with the material. There will be labs and office hours to get help.

Responsible AI Usage Policy

You may use AI tools (e.g., ChatGPT, Claude code) only if you clearly attribute their use. You are responsible for understanding, verifying, and defending everything you submit. You will be asked to explain your code live. There is no replacement for learning the concepts with exercises. Therefore, we strongly recommend you to not use AI tools for the homework problems. No AI use permitted in the exams or during office hours.

If a student is found to have submitted code they cannot adequately explain or understand, penalties will be applied.