Announcements

5/8 – There seems to be some question regarding the SED framework of Beer. It is described in his paper we discussed in class.

5/7 – Exam study notes have been posted.

5/4 – Robobugs!

4/30b – Some good news on the job market.

4/30 – There is now a games page which references all present and subsequent versions of Number Rumble.

4/29b – In case I did not emphasize this earlier, attendance at the project presentations is MANDATORY for both days. Attendance will be taken.

4/29 – Here is a more compact version of Number Rumble, if the previous one takes up too much room on the monitor screen.

4/28 – Number Rumble is ready for Beta testing. Run the .exe file. It still needs some things, such as end-of-game checking. Let me know if you have any ideas for making the game more interesting.

4/24 – Here are the links on project presentation: A, B, C, & D. Also the MidTerm with answers has been posted.

4/23 – If you have not seen this yet . .

4/21 – Another puzzle program has been added to our list. This one does the 8, 15, 24 and 35 puzzle. In addition,

an in-depth analysis of 5 puzzle search techniques has been posted.

4/11 – Homework assignments for the 15th and 22nd have been posted.

4/10 – I have worked out an A* example in detail using a 5 puzzle to make it tractable by hand. There is a Manhattan Distance

calculation page and a linked list page showing the solution progress. I also posted a second 8 puzzle program which you can use to check out the solution step by step.

4/9 – Please check out the new additions to the Search site, especially the pages on A* Search, in preparation for Thursday's class.

4/7 – When you submit your assigned work, please use Word or powerpoint 2003 format. I do my grading from home and my home

machine does not have Office 2007.

4/5 – A link of interest.

4/3 – An A.I. Topics section of the 548 website is under development. At the moment we are moving through the Rule-Based Systems section.

4/2 – Two articles of interest:

http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=080402194140.u8ohpruq&show_article=1

http://us.i1.yimg.com/videogames.yahoo.com/feature/defuse-bombs-with-a-wii-remote/1200820

3/26 – For future reference, here is a comparison of various robot kits:

http://www.storming-robots.com/prod/robkits.html

– And for the Mindstorms community this looks like a good resource:

http://www.storming-robots.com/prod/default.html

3/19 – Please be aware that our normal schedule of meetings will be suspended during "Advisement Week", March 31-April 4. We can

still meet, but it may not be at our regularly scheduled time slots.

3/18 – Be sure to study this (optional) homework assignment. In addition to Beer's paper, we will be discussing

ways to tackle this and relate it to your semester projects. Be sure to consult with each other and pass along any helpful information you have found. For the 5 Mindstormers and the 4 iCreaters I have set up special pages for each community.

3/14 – Reminder about undergrad research conference

From: Gardi, Kerri

Please remind students that the deadline to submit proposals is the Friday after spring break week (3/21). Thank you.

The 9^th Annual Undergraduate Research and Creativity Conference,

sponsored by the Higher Education Council of Berks County, will be hosted by Kutztown University this April!

This a wonderful opportunity for students to present their scholarly accomplishments in the form of:

- Paper presentations - Poster displays - Films - Art exhibitions - Performances

Please:

- Encourage our top students to showcase their hard work! Faculty will be needed to serve as sponsors for students’ presentations

- Work with your students to register and present at this event (www.kutztown.edu/hecbc)

- Be aware the deadline to register is FRIDAY MARCH 21

2/25 – Notes for Chapter 16 have been posted. The Midterm next week will cover the text through Chapter 16 as well as in class lecture

notes.

2/24 – Please peruse this lecture by Donald Kuth :: All Questions Answered. I will explain in class how that relates to our upcoming

discussion on sensory processing and preprocessing. Also, don't forget to keep checking the Info Sharing Page.

2/23c – Significant changes have been made to the AI Topics and Robot Topics sections. Please explore them thoroughly.

2/23b – I strongly recommend reading the "Night of Networking" article on page 2 of the Feb. 21 issue of the Keystone. Consider

attending the Networking Night function: http://www.kutztown.edu/alumni/wiesenberger/calendar.htm.

2/23 – Even as we tackle the problems of designing a behavior-based robotic system, we also need to fill in some of the A.I. background for the course. In preparation for this, please peruse the online material referenced below and be prepared to discuss some of the wider A.I. issues.

History of AI:: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_artificial_intelligence

AI Winters:: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AI_winter

Lighthill Report:: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lighthill_report

Hype Cycle:: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hype_cycle

BBAI:: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Behavior-based_AI

BB Robotics:: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Behavior-based_robotics

Issues in Vision:: http://www.users.totalise.co.uk/~kbroom/Lectures/3gs.htm

http://www.nobeliefs.com/puzzles/illusions.htm

http://hubel.med.harvard.edu/bcontex.htm

Molyneux’s question: http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/molyneux-problem/

http://consc.net/mindpapers/3.4d

Sight&Touch:http://www.perceptionweb.com/perception/perc0300/editorial.pdf

Sight & Sound: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/978217.stm

http://www.rxpgnews.com/psychiatry/psychology/coginitivescience/article_3160.shtml

2/21b – Don't forget to check out the online Robotics Primer Workbook to accompany our textbook, which is linked to from the course syllabus.

2/21 – After giving your Reading Report, please email a copy to the class email account.

2/20 – If you have someone else's robot, please bring it to class tomorrow so that each person can have the robot they were originally given.

No matter how qualified you are ON PAPER for a position, it is the IN PERSON interview that obtains the job for you. Good interviewing is a skill and practicing makes perfect! Sign up for a mock interview with our friendly and experienced employer volunteers. We guarantee the suggestions and feedback they’ll offer will boost your confidence and help you to develop strong (& rewarding) interviewing skills. Great opportunity to practice for the ‘real’ on-campus interviewing program!

**Pre-registration (Stop in the Career Center to choose a 30-minute timeslot) & Interview Attire Required.

Sign up on-line beginning Mon 2/11. Dinner is Tue, March 4 from 5-7:30pm SDH

Etiquette is an important factor in conducting business today – good manners are associated with competence in your work…they say a lot about you! Employers view interpersonal skills as necessary candidate qualifications, and often assess these during a meal. Learn the basics of proper dining etiquette including introductions & handshakes, following the lead of your host, tackling flatware, handling tricky foods, and other dining tips. By understanding business etiquette, you can use it to your advantage to feel confident in any situation.

2/12b – Please review the Tyco grant proposal before class, as we will be discussing it.

2/12 – Air Products is hosting a “Lunch & Learn” program on Wednesday, February 27^th, from Noon to 1:00 pm, in the MSU Formal Dining Room. A representative from the company will be speaking about careers in IT, the importance of internships and the opportunities at Air Products. There is a signup sheet on the door of the departmental secretary's office.

2/10 – The updated RAPS description has been posted. Also, during the week of 2/17-2/23, for Tuesday meetings, if you can, come at

your regular meeting time on Tuesday 2/19 which is a Monday.

2/6 – It would be a good idea to spend 2-3 hours searching the Internet for projects others have done using the Create. To get you

started, here are some links:

http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2007/01/irobot_create_p.html

http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2007/09/irobot_create_serverbot.html?CMP=OTC-0D6B48984890

http://popsci.typepad.com/how20blog/irobot_institute/index.html

http://www.irobot.com/sp.cfm?pageid=296

http://createforums.irobot.com/irobotcreate/

http://createforums.irobot.com/irobotcreate/board/message?board.id=Create_projects&message.id=7

http://www.irobot.com/sp.cfm?pageid=289

http://www.irobot.com/sp.cfm?pageid=86&id=373&referrer=28

http://www.tomshardware.com/site/irobot/

http://www.engadget.com/tag/irobot%20create/

2/5 – Link for Ariane 5 Inquiry Board Report.

2/3 – The web page format of the textbook outlines has changed.

Also, keep in mind that team semester projects are permitted.

Finally, the notes at the end of each chapter are a great source of pointers to reading material.

1/30b – Of interest to CS/IT majors.

1/30 – (1) A page for sharing information about where equipment is available has been posted. Check back frequently for updates.

(2) A random list of names has been generated for "Skip Day". Please bring your robot to class on your skip day and pass it on to that person in class who does not have a robot.

(3) An outline of the central chapters of the textbook is underway. Preliminary version is posted.

(4) A page for sharing information with one another has been set up.

1/29 – Some project ideas: (1) A novice-friendly interface for the Create; (2) A middle school (or high school) intelligent robotics curriculum.

1/28 – Two examples (1 & 2) of PACISE papers.

1/26 – Schedule Change: It occurred to me that some of the reconnaissance work will be relevant to your project. Thus, from a scheduling standpoint, it does not make sense to give Reconnaissance Reports after the Preliminary Reports. So I have shifted the schedules around to have the Reconnaissance reports come before the Preliminary ones.

1/24 – Reading Reports: Please note the changes in the Reading Report dates.

– Weekly Meetings: Weekly meetings will begin Tuesday (1/29), following the posted schedule.

1/23 – iNewton Reading: Please look over the Issues & Topics page that I prepared. As you can see the number of possible topics for iNewton reading is virtually endless.

1/22 – Homework Reminder: The assignment, given in class, for today was (1) read the textbook through chapter

9 (p. 120),

and (2) become familiar with the sensor and command (actuator) suite of iRobot's Create [http://www.irobot.com/filelibrary/create/Create%20Open%20Interface_v2.pdf ], especially pages 22–25.

1/21 – Presentation orders have been generated randomly for the readings, reconnaissance, and project presentations and are linked to

from the Upcoming page.

1/20 – As you work on choosing a semester project topic and/or an area of study for your iNewton readings, be sure to study this page on foraging, also known as literature search.

1/17 – Extra credit opportunity [10/10] :: submit a paper to PACISE 2008.

1/15 – Welcome to class! Please check this page regularly for information that will be posted.