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ME495 Sensing, Navigation, and Machine Learning for Robotics

Overview

Welcome to the lecture notes for ME495: Sensing, Navigation, and Machine Learning for Robotics, a course for Northwestern University's Master of Science in Robotics Program!

These notes are arranged by topic and also chronologically. Any notes that are not under the Chronological section have not yet been covered.

Chronological

Day 1

These links will likely be helpful in transitioning from ROS python to ROS C++

Day 2

  1. CMake Basics

Day 4

  1. ROS2 and C++

Day 7

  1. Odometry

Day 8

  1. Debugging

Day 9, 10

  1. Turtlebot 3

Day 11, 12

Probability Review

Day 14

Kalman Filter

By Topic

  1. CMake Basics
  2. 2D Transforms Review
  3. Derive Kinematics
  4. Odometry
  5. Unit Testing and Debugging
  6. Turtlebot 3
  7. Probability Review
  8. Estimation Example
  9. Gaussian Random Variables
  10. Kalman Filter
  11. SLAM Implementation Notes
  12. Supervised Learning (Regression)
  13. Circle Detection
  14. Data Association
ROS 1
  1. Remote Nodes

Homework

  1. Guidelines (Read this first)
  2. Homework 1 (Due 1/24)
  3. Homework 2 (Due 2/8)
  4. Homework 3 (Due 2/28)
  5. Homework 4 (Due 3/17)

Resources

The following resources will be useful in this course.

C++

Books

  • Professional C++ 4th Edtion by Marc Gregoire (Available online through the Northwestern Library).
  • A Tour of C++ by Bjarne Stroustrup (Available online through the Northwestern Library)
  • Effective C++ by Scott Meyers (Available online through the Northwestern Library)
    • Best practices for C++, (Pre C++11)
  • Effective STL by Scott Meyers (Available online through the Northwestern Library)
    • How to use the standard template library. (Pre C++11)
  • More Effective C++ by Scott Meyers (Available online through the Northwestern Library)
    • Best practices for C++, (Pre c++11)
  • Effective Modern C++ by Scott Meyers (Available online through the Northwestern Library)
    • Best practices for C++11

Tutorials

References

  • C++ Core Guidelines
    • Formalizes best practices for C++, written by Bjarne Stroustrup (creator of C++) and Herb Sutter (very involved in C++ standards committee)
  • cppreference.com A good reference website for C++
    • www.cplusplus.com: This website usually comes up on google before cppreference.
    • It is seemingly "beginner friendly" but it also contains outdated information and often reinforces bad habits and is out-of-date.
  • C++ Stories information about Modern C++
  • GotW Good source for C++ best practices
  • Draft of the C++20 Standard
    • Hard to read but contains almost the final word about the mechanics of C++20
    • The actual ISO standard can be purchased here for 198 Swiss Francs
      • Maybe the Northwestern Library will obtain it for you if it were actually needed.

Author: Matthew Elwin