We learn how to describe the position and orientation of objects in the 3-dimensional space that we live in. This builds on our understanding of describing position and orientation in two dimensions.
This video gives summary of 2D geometry and pose.
We learn how to describe the 2D pose of an object by a 3×3 homogeneous transformation matrix which has a special structure.
We learn how to describe the orientation of an object by a 2×2 rotation matrix which has some special properties.
The pose of an object can be considered in two parts, the position of the object and the orientation of the object.
We consider multiple objects each with its own coordinate frame. Now we can describe the relationships between the frames and find a vector describing a point with respect to any of these frames. We extend our algebraic notation to ease the manipulation of relative poses.
We introduce the idea of attaching a coordinate frame to an object. We can describe points on the object by constant vectors with respect to the object’s coordinate frame, and then relate those to the points described with respect to a world coordinate frame. We introduce a simple algebraic notation to describe this.
To fully describe an object on the plane we need to not only describe its position, but also which direction it is pointing. This combination is referred to as pose.
We revisit the fundamentals of geometry that you would have learned at school: Euclidean geometry, Cartesian or analytic geometry, coordinate frames, points and vectors.
We learn how to describe the position and orientation of objects on a 2-dimensional plane. We introduce the notion of reference frames as a basis for describing the position of objects in two dimensions.
This video gives summary of robots and why we need them.
Without doubt robots are cool, but why do we need them? Let’s discuss some of the things that robots can help people do.
Self-driving cars are in the news a lot lately. An alternative way to think of such cars is as robots that carry people.
We have a deep fascination with machines created in our own image. Let’s explore the world of humanoid robots.
In this mini-documentary we look at a diverse range of real-world robots, discuss what they do and how they do it.
Robots today are ubiquitous in manufacturing but they can do much, much more.
Humans have long been fascinated by machines that mimic people and animals. These and several other technologies are the precursors of modern robots.
Much of what we know about robots comes from fiction. Let’s look at fictional robots and the underlying reality.
We introduce the topic of robotics, the recent history, why we need robots and the future of robots.
Robots in entertainment environments typically do not allow for physical interaction and contact with people. However, catching and throwing back objects is one form of physical engagement that still maintains a safe distance between the robot and participants. Using an animatronic humanoid robot, we developed a test bed for a throwing and catching game scenario. We use an external camera system (ASUS Xtion PRO LIVE) to locate balls and a Kalman filter to predict ball destination and timing. The robot’s hand and joint-space are calibrated to the vision coordinate system using a least-squares technique, such that the hand can be…