18-440 Autonomous Robotics I
12 units, Carnegie Mellon University
This course combines machine learning and robotics in a hands-on approach that encourages discovery. The course will have three portions. First, students learn deep learning fundamentals, convolutional neural networks, and object detection. In the second portion, students learn the fundamentals of Robot Operating System 2 (ROS2). In the last portion, they learn how to implement ROS2 computational graphs and machine learning models on a hardware and software acceleration platform to achieve real-time robotic perception, cognition, and action. Students develop a miniature self-driving robot based on the Jetson Orin Nano platform and the RealSense camera for vision. Students are encouraged to discover their robotic application tasks. Prior machine learning or robotics knowledge is not required. However, strong C/Python programming skills, computer systems knowledge, and a sense of wonder are strongly preferred. This course is crosslisted with 18840. Although students in 18440 will share lectures with students in 18840, students in 18840 will be given exams and project criteria that will be more challenging than those in 18440.
Prerequisites: 18-213 (min C) or 15-213 (min C) or 18-613 (min C)
Offered: Spring 2027, Spring 2026
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