Robotics has become one of the key interdisciplinary research 
areas resulting in the growth of intelligent and connected 
vehicles taking our service, logistics, entertainment, 
industrial, and transportation infrastructures. Especially, 
networked robots play an increasingly important role in 
several applications such as field and service robotics, urban 
search and rescue (USAR) during accidents and disasters (like 
the ones in Fukushima nuclear disaster), robotics in nuclear 
environments (e.g., at CERN), unmanned monitoring, survey and 
securing of large complex environments, and multipurpose 
mobile sensor networks. Therefore, it is important to 
understand the robotics literature and advance it through 
research and survey in the field and service robotics, rescue 
robotics, etc., which are the main objectives of this course.

This course will primarily be research oriented, with most 
lectures presented in a seminar-type format, and there will be 
a small simulation/hardware project assignment. First, the 
instructor will present the initial few lectures and cover 
the fundamental concepts in field robotics. In turn, each 
student will present the analysis of a research paper selected 
from top robotics conferences or relevant journals. All 
participants will be required to write a short review of the 
assigned readings before each lecture. In addition, the course 
requires each student to formulate and address a relevant 
research problem in networked robotic systems through 
simulation/hardware experiments either individually or in 
teams (depending on the course enrollment). The analysis of the 
chosen research problem, proposed solution, and experimental 
evaluation should be completed and reported in a conference-
style paper by the end of the term (this is the equivalent of 
the final exam).

Criteria for evaluation are given below:
Class Participation and Homework = 20%
Paper Reviews = 10%
Paper Presentations = 25%
Research Project = 45%

Textbooks: There is no textbook required. The course requires 
reading research papers, which are available online through 
UGA subscription network.

Topics to be covered:
•Field and service robotics, including applications in 
 healthcare
•Robotics in nuclear environments 
•Robotics in logistics and warehousing
•Search and rescue robotics
•Challenges in sensing and perception in field robotic 
 applications
•Challenges in communication aspects in field robots
•Coordinated mapping of environments using multi-robot systems
•Other applications of unmanned robots