16-700 Fundamentals of Robot Manipulation

6 units, Carnegie Mellon University

As a core mini, this course will provide students with the fundamental knowledge and technical skills to begin exploring the topic of robot manipulation and collaborate with others in this field. The class will introduce students to core concepts of manipulation such as affordances, interactive perception, contact constraints, and grasp analysis. The course will also introduce students to how manipulation is seen from the perspective of control, task and motion planning, and machine learning. We will cover some of the core methodologies from each of these areas and how they address some of the challenges of robot manipulation. We will also discuss the complementary nature of these methods and how they can be used in unison. The lectures will be supported by a set of assignments that will guide students through the implementation of different methods in a simulated manipulation task. A final written exam will evaluate students' ability to explain core concepts of robot manipulation.

Prerequisites: none listed

Offered: Spring 2027, Fall 2025

Courseweave needs JavaScript to show sections, workloads and planning tools.