OVERVIEW

The Research Track II Course aims at providing students with advanced concepts needed for developing software for robotics, performing their research and presenting their results. Frontal lessons and class exercises will help the students in learning and analyzing the most relevant instruments in these contexts, such as data visualization libraries, software documentation tools, notebooks for robotics, statistical tests.

Furthermore, students will work on a specific line of research, elaborating an analysis of the state of the art on a topic chosen from among those proposed. A part of the course will therefore be dedicated to some aspects related to the research methodology.

AIMS AND CONTENT

LEARNING OUTCOMES

Robotics is a multi-disciplinary field characterised by a high degree of research. Research Track 1 and Research Track 2 are aimed at developing a series of must-have know-how and expertise that any researcher in Robotics must be acquainted to. In particular, Research Track 2 will consider subjects related to project design, development, assessment, reporting, as well as ancillary knowledge as experimental methodologies, data visualisation, bibliography research, pitch presentations.

AIMS AND LEARNING OUTCOMES

Active participation in the proposed training activities (lectures and laboratory activities), individual study and the realization of projects will allow students to:

- create some effective visuals for showing data

- use notebooks for controlling and managing robotic simulations

- write proper documentation for the developed code

- define a research hypothesis

- use the correct statistical instruments for validating their hypotheses

- search scientific resources

- perform a literature analysis

- communicate effectively in written and oral form, adapting their communication to the context, using sources and aids of various kinds (Open Badge: functional literacy competence)

- develop critical thinking, argumentative skills, and the ability to use, process and evaluate information (Open Badge: functional literacy competence)

PREREQUISITES

The course is the ideal continuation of the Research Track I course.

TEACHING METHODS

Teaching methods consist of frontal lessons and class exercises.

During frontal lessons, examples related to the implementation of the different aspects will be shown.

Class exercises will be performed individually or in groups.

The second part of the course involves the drafting of a paper analyzing the state of the art on a topic chosen by the students among those proposed. Students will work in groups to analyze the proposed sources and search for new ones, using the methods described in class.

Working students and students with certification of DSA, disability, or other special educational needs are advised to contact the teacher at the beginning of the course to agree on teaching and exam methods which, in compliance with the teaching objectives, take into account the methods of individual learning.

SYLLABUS/CONTENT

The course program consists of the following topics:

- Data visualization and Matplotlib

- Jupyter Notebook

- Software Documentation, Doxygen and Sphinx

- Statistical tools for robotics engineering

- Elements of Research Methodology

RECOMMENDED READING/BIBLIOGRAPHY

All slides shown during the lessons and other teaching materials will be available on the Aulaweb platform. Generally speaking, notes taken during the lessons and teaching materials uploaded on Aulaweb will be sufficient for the course.

TEACHERS AND EXAM BOARD

Exam Board

CARMINE RECCHIUTO (President)

RENATO UGO RAFFAELE ZACCARIA

FULVIO MASTROGIOVANNI (President Substitute)

LESSONS

LESSONS START

https://easyacademy.unige.it/portalestudenti/index.php?view=easycourse&_lang=it&include=corso

Class schedule

The timetable for this course is available here: Portale EasyAcademy

EXAMS

EXAM DESCRIPTION

During the course, students will have to implement an assignment, which will start from the final assignment of Research Track I. 

During the final exam the student will discuss his/her Research Line (ie a bibliographic analysis on a defined theme) carried out during the course. Students are also required to write a report on their line of research.

The final evaluation will consist of the evaluation of the assignment (40%) and the evaluation of the work done for the research line (discussion + report, 60%).

ASSESSMENT METHODS

With the assignment and the final exam, students will demonstrate that they are able to:

- use tools for data visualization

- write a correct software documentation

- design a notebook for a robotic simulation

- define research hypotheses and perform statistical analyses

- perform a literature analysis

- present their work in front of a commission

- discuss and motivate the work carried out and the choices made

Exam schedule