- What kind of sensors do you need to solve the Ratslife game? Think both about trivial and close-to-optimal approaches.
- What devices in your home could be considered robots? Why and why not?
- Is a mechanical clock a robot? Why and why not?
- Which industries have been recently revolutionized by robotics? Into which industries were robots introduced first? Which industries are currently being transformed?
- What sensors are you using when you grasp an object? Enumerate them all. Which ones are absolutely necessary and which one could you live without?
- Think about robots vacuuming your floor or mowing your lawn. Do they use any planning? Is planning necessary? Why or why not?
- What kind of sensors would you need in a car that drives completely autonomously? Think first about the kind of information that the car needs to be aware of and then discuss possible sensors that could capture this information.
- Implement a simple line-following using a robot of your choice. How does the thickness of the line affect the sensor placement on the robot? How does its curvature affect the robot’s maximum speed?
- Implement a maze solving algorithm that uses simple wall-following using a robot of your choice. How does the sensor geometry affect the robot’s performance? What are the parameters that you find yourself tuning?