CSE 551A - Spring 2006
Robotic Manipulators

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View the Course Description and general Course Admin/Policy notes (corrected versions 2/3).


Suggested problems from the text (date assigned):
Set #1 (1/31): 1-14, 1-16, 1-19, 1-20, 2-1, 2-2, 2-3, 2-4, 2-5 with some answers
Set #2 (2/6): 2-11, 2-13, 2-15, 2-16, 2-23, 2-26, 2-37, 2-38, 2-39 with some answers
-- also, read 2-26 thru 2-35, and 2-39 thru 2-41
Set #3 (2/13): 3-2, 3-3, 3-4, 3-5, 3-10, 3-14 with some answers
Set #4 (2/20): 4-1, 4-2, 4-3, 4-4, 4-5, 4-6, one of 4-13 or 4-14, 4-18 with some answers
Set #5 (3/20): 5-2*, 5-8, 5-10*, 5-13, 5-14, 5-15*, 5-17, 5-20 (* - optional) with some answers

Click the following to view published homeworks:

Homework #1 (collected 2/15/06) and answers.
Homework #2 (collected 3/8/06) and answers.
Homework #3 (collected 4/17/06) and answers.
Homework #4 (no hand-in)

Term Project (due at final)

Final Exam on 10 May at 5:30pm until 7:30pm (Term Project due, also)

Published exams or exams from prior semesters may be viewed via the following links:

Spring 2006 Midterm Exam
Spring 2004 Midterm Exam
old Midterm Exam
old Final Exam


The links below are to the images appearing in Homework #5:
3blocks.jpg - 3 blocks from overhead
left.jpg - left perspective of 3 blocks
right.jpg - right perspective of 3 blocks
rulers.jpg - 3 blocks with rulers (for size)

Parallel Port Interface
A solution to use of the IBM-007 parallel port interface seems to be at least partly available, thanks to Mike Gaffney. Check out the ZIP file RobotControl.zip, which has source code and instructions in a readme.txt, which tell how to use it. The solution gives a driver which can write the control signals to the parallel port, but does not implement an interface, although RobotControl.java gives a suggestion of how that might be done, at a low level (in java, but in a very similar fashion in C or C++). The tricky part may be accessing the DLL, I think.

Additional info will be posted here as it becomes available.

The OWI-007 robots and robot interfaces used in class appear to be made by RobotiKits Direct, a spinoff of OWI (and who is OWI - ???). The class robots were purchased through Gibson Tech Ed, who only sells to educators (including Boy and Girl Scout leaders), but which has a commercial operation that sells to the public, at HobbyTron.com. Numerous other sources of the OWI-007 robot and computer interfaces for it exist.

(Disclaimer: Links shown here are for information, or access to sources of spare parts, and in no way should be taken to imply endorsement of products or services that may be offered via these links.)