Vision, Robotics, and Planning—Intelligent Machines

Course lecture will be online (via Zoom) on Tuesday, Feb. 24 Watch for calendar invitation.

Prof. J. Baillieul
Mechanical Engineering
Electrical and Computer Engineering
Systems Engineering
BOSTON UNIVERSITY

ENG ME/SE740 Course Outline: (Spring 2026)

(1/7/26)

1. Foundations of intelligent mechatronics
2. Geometry and robot coordinate systems
3. Euclidean group theory and kinematic equations
4. Differential relationships
5. Specifying robot motions
6. Analytical dynamics of mechanical systems
7. Control: basic issues
8. Control: sampled data systems
9. Control: advanced topics
10. The control theory of micro-mechanical systems
11. Advanced topics: kinematic redundancy
12. Advanced topics: Super-articulated mechanical systems
13. Advanced topics: Information based control
14. Advanced topics: Networked control systems

Communication regarding this course will frequently involve this Web page.

2020 Mini Projects Page.
2013 Mini Project of Professor Alyssa Pierson when she was a student here.
Neurobiology and autonomy Lecture.

The TED Lectures on Robotics

Professor Theodore E. Djaferis co-taught the course in the Spring of 2017.
These are course notes that he has provided on selected lectures.

Lecture 4	Lecture 5	Lecture 6	Lecture 7
Lecture 8	Lecture 9	Lecture 10	Lecture 11
Lecture 12	Lecture 13	Lecture 14	Lecture 15
Lecture 16	Lecture 17	Lecture 18	Lecture 19
Lecture 20	Lecture 21	Lecture 22	Lecture 23
Lecture 24	Lecture 25

April 14, 2020 lecture supplement here.
April 16, 2020 lecture supplement here.
April 21, 2020 lecture supplement here.

Homework, project proposals and more

All assignments to be submitted through the course Blackboard sites: https://learn.bu.edu/ultra/courses/_284192_1/cl/outline for ME740 and https://learn.bu.edu/ultra/courses/_284193_1/cl/outline for SE740. Course assignments — All assignments due by noon of the posted due date. Late work will not be accepted.

• Project pre-proposal instructions.
• Project full proposals instructions. Proposal due February 5.

1. Exercise Set 1.
     Solution Set 1.
2. Exercise Set 2.
     Solution Set 2.
3. Exercise Set 3.
     Solution Set 3.
   Quad chart template1 and template2. Please use one of these — or one of your own design conveying the same information — to prepare a summary of the current state of your project. Your quadchart will constitute your midterm progress report, so they should be both informative and beautiful.

   Midterm project report due March 19.

Reports will be a single quad chart per the templates above.
Quad charts to be submitted via Blackboard.

If you wish to pursue a masters degree with Robotics Specialization noted on your transcript, please visit https://www.bu.edu/eng/programs/masters-degree-specialization-programs.

Course handouts 2026:

1. Course syllabus outline: [PDF] or [HTML]. (HTML with book purchase options.)
2. Examples of possible course projects: [PDF]. Project proposals due soon.
    —Sample proposals from 2017.
     Theses that started as ME/SE 740 course projects:
        Ben Troxler thesis,
        Paul Seebacher thesis,
        Laura Corvese thesis.
      A thesis on vision-based naviation:
        Chiara Boretti, Philippe Bich thesis.
3. Project report sample and report template.