EECS C106A/206A | Introduction to Robotics

Fall 2025

Roberto Horowitz

horowitz@

Professor
he/him

Jean-Paul Tennant

jptennant@

Professor
he/him

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Week 0 - Welcome to EECS C106A/206A!

We’re extremely excited to have you as we journey through kinematics, dynamics, vision, and controls. Along the way, you’ll learn how to use real robots to make the theory come to life.

This week:

• Make sure to read the welcome announcement and the Policies page!
• Lectures begin! 2-3:30pm on Tuesday/Thursday in Dwinelle 145.
• Homework 0 is due on Wed 9/3/25 at 11:59pm
• Join us for a student mixer this Friday 2:30pm - 5:00pm in Cory 293! Snacks are provided
• Labs, discussion, Bridge section, and office hours begin next week

All Announcements

Course Calendar

All files can be found on bCourses

Week 0

• Homework 0: Linear Algebra Review - due 9/3 (Solutions)

No Class

8/26

Intro - History of Robotics

8/28

(Logistics Slides) ([Lecture Slides])

Rigid Body Motion

Week 1

• Diagnostic Quiz Sep 2-3
• Homework 1: Rotations and Reference Frames - due 9/10 (Solutions)
• Discussion 1: Rotations (Worksheet) (Solutions) (Boardwork)

Rigid Body Motion

9/2

(Slides) (Handout) ([Boardwork])
SO(3) Group / Rigid Transformations
Reading - MLS 2.1, 2.2

Calculating Rigid Body Motion

9/4

(Slides) (Handout) ([Boardwork])
Exponential Map / Rodrigues / Euler Angles
Reading - MLS 2.3

Week 2

• Lab 1: Introduction to ROS2 (Lab Doc) (Slides)
• Homework 2: Rigid Body Motion in SO(3) - due 9/17
• Discussion 2: Rigid Body Motion in SO(3) (Worksheet) (Solutions) (Boardwork)

Rigid Body Transformations in 3D

9/9

(Slides) (Handout) ([Boardwork])
Quaternions / SE(3) / Twists
Reading - MLS 3.2

Rigid Body Transformtions in 3D, continued

9/11

(Slides) ([Boardwork])
se(3) / Expontential Map / Screws
Reading - MLS 3.2

Week 3

• Lab 2: More Intro to ROS 2 (Lab Doc) (Slides)
  • Robot Usage Guide
• Homework 3: Rigid Body Motion in SE(3) - due 9/24
• Discussion 3: Rigid Body Motion in SE(3) (Worksheet) (Solutions) (Boardwork)

Twists & Screws

9/16

(Slides) (Compressed) ([Boardwork])
se(3) / Expontential Map / Screws
Screws - Twists / Chasle’s / Jointspace + FK
Reading - MLS 3.2

Twists & Screws, continued

9/18

(Slides) (Handout) ([Boardwork])
Product of Exponentials / Examples
Reading - MLS 3.2

Kinematics

Week 4

• Lab Module A (Week 1)
  • Lab 3
  • Lab 4
• Homework 4: Forward Kinematics
• Discussion 4: Forward Kinematics (Worksheet) (Boardwork) (Solutions)

Forward Kinematics I

9/23

(Slides) (Boardwork)
Jointspace + FK
Reading - MLS 3.2

Forward Kinematics II

9/25

(Slides) (Boardwork)
Product of Exponentials and Examples
Reading - MLS 3.2

Week 5

• Lab Module A (Week 2)
  • Lab 3
  • Lab 4
• Homework 5: Inverse Kinematics
  • No slip days can be used on this assignment
• Discussion 5: Inverse Kinematics (Worksheet) (Boardwork) (Solutions)

Inverse Kinematics I

10/1

(Slides) (Boardwork)
Manipulator Workspace / PK 1
Reading - MLS 3.3

Inverse Kinematics II

10/3

(Slides) (Boardwork)
PK 2, 3 / Examples
Reading - MLS 3.3

Vision

Week 6

• Lab Module A Buffer Week
  • Lab 3
  • Lab 4
• Midterm Review
• Final Project Rollout (Slides) (Guidelines) (Template)
  • Proposals due Wed 10/22

Computer Vision I

10/7

(Slides) (Boardwork)
Image Formation and Features
Reading - Textbook Chapter 1, Chapter 2

Midterm I Review Session

10/9

(Slides) (Boardwork)
Image Primitives and Correspondence
Reading - Textbook Chapters 3, 4

Week 7

• Midterm I on Monday 10/13/25 at 8-10pm in Dwinelle 155
• Lab Module B (Week 1)
  • Lab 5
  • Lab 6
• Homework 6: Computer Vision
• Discussion 6: Computer Vision (Worksheet) (Boardwork) (Solutions)

Computer Vision II

10/14

(Slides) (Boardwork)
Two-View Geometry
Reading - Textbook

Computer Vision III

10/16

(Slides) (Boardwork)
Reading - Textbook

Velocities and Jacobians

Week 8

• Final Project Proposals due Wed 10/22
• Lab Module B (Week 2)
  • Lab 5
  • Lab 6
• Homework 7: Velocities
• Discussion 7: Velocities (Worksheet) (Boardwork) (Solutions)

Velocities

10/21

(Slides) (Boardwork)
Spatial / Body / Angular / Generalized Velocities
Reading - MLS 2.4, 3.4

Spatial Jacobian

10/23

(Velocities Slides cont.) (Jacobians Slides) (Boardwork)
Reading - MLS 3.4

Week 9

• Lab Module B Buffer Week
  • Lab 5
  • Lab 6
• Homework 8: Jacobians and Singularities
• Discussion 8: Jacobians (Worksheet) (Boardwork) (Solutions)
• Work on Final Projects

Jacobians

10/28

(Slides) (Handout)
Reading - MLS 3.4

Motion Planning with Jacobians

10/30

(SVD Slides) (Jacobians slides) (Boardwork)
Singularities / Manipulability / Redundant Manipulators
Reading - MLS 3.4

Dynamics

Week 10

• Lab Module C (Week 1)
  • Lab 7
  • Lab 8 document helpful if you’re having difficulty understanding ROS 2.
• Homework 9: Dynamics
  • To give you as much time as possible to work on this assignment, it is due Mon Nov 17
  • Accordingly, no slip days may be used on this assignment.
• Discussion 9 (Worksheet) (Boardwork) (Solutions)
• Work on Final Projects

Introduction to Lagrangian Dynamics in Planar Systems

11/4

(Slides) (Handout)
Reading - MLS 4.2

Lagrangian Dynamics, cont.

11/6

(Slides) (Slides) (Boardwork)

Control and Motion Planning

Week 11

• Lab Module C (Week 2)
  • Lab 7
  • Lab 8
• Discussion 9.5: Lagrangian Dynamics in 3D (Worksheet) (Boardwork) (Solutions)

Academic Holiday (Veterans’ Day)

11/11

Lagrangian Dynamics, cont.

11/13

(Slides) (Boardwork)

Week 12

• Midterm II on Thursday 11/20/25 at 8-10pm in Dwinelle 155
• Lab Module C Buffer Week
  • Lab 7
  • Lab 8
• Discussion 10: Controls (Worksheet) (Boardwork) (Solutions)
• Work on Final Projects

Controls, Part I

11/18

(Slides) (Boardwork)

Controls, Part II

11/20

(Slides) ()

Week 13

• Homework 10: Controls
  • No HW Party this week! We’ll have it next week instead.
• Final Project Check-in I due Tue 11/25
• Work on Final Projects
• Enjoy Thanksgiving!

Controls, Part III

11/25

(Slides) (Boardwork)

No Class - Thanksgiving Break!

11/27

Week 14

• Final Project Check-In II due 12/02

Guest Lecture - Startups in Robotics

12/2

Controls, Part IV

12/4

Final Projects

Week 15

• RRR Week: No Lectures
• Final Project Presentations on Thursday and Friday

Final Project Presentations

12/11

Final Project Presentations

12/12

Week 16

Finals Week - Good luck on your exams!

Final Project Websites due

12/19