Description
Major advances in both hardware and software have accelerated the development of autonomous systems that have the potential to bring significant benefits to society. Google, Tesla, and a host of other companies are building autonomous vehicles that can improve safety and provide flexible mobility options for those who cannot drive themselves. On the aviation side, the past few years have seen the proliferation of unmanned aircraft that have the potential to deliver medicine and monitor agricultural crops autonomously. In the financial domain, a significant portion of stock trades are performed using automated trading algorithms at a frequency not possible by human traders. How do we build these systems that drive our cars, fly our planes, and invest our money? How do we develop trust in these systems? What is the societal impact on increased levels of autonomy?
Meetings
Mykel Kochenderfer will be leading this seminar on Tuesdays and Thursdays 9am-10:20am in Thornton 210 starting January 7, 2025.
Discussion
Class discussions are held on Ed. You should be automatically registered through Canvas.
Grading
Coding Assignments: 30%
- 5% Coding Assignment 1: Estimating π
- 5% Coding Assignment 2: Learning Aircraft Encounter Models
- 5% Coding Assignment 3: Encounter Simulation and Analysis
- 5% Coding Assignment 4: Simple CAS
- 5% Coding Assignment 5: CAS Design
- 5% Coding Assignment 6: Additional Analysis
Presentations: 30%
- 15% Case Study
- 15% Social Impact
Class Participation: 10%
Social Impact Write-Up: 30%
This course offered for a letter grade only. We will use the standard breakdowns in the table below. We will round fractional percentages in your favor. Every year, a few students are awarded an A+ after careful consideration for demonstrating mastery beyond what is expected in this class; it is not determined solely based on percentage.
| Letter Grade | Percentage |
|---|---|
| A | >= 93% |
| A- | 90-92% |
| B+ | 87-89% |
| B | 83-86% |
| B- | 80-82% |
| C+ | 77-79% |
| C | 73-76% |
| C- | 70-72% |
| D+ | 63-66% |
| D | 63-66% |
| D- | 60-62% |
| F | 0-59% |
Late Policy
All assignments are due at 5pm on Fridays.
Because of unexpected events, illnesses, work commitments, etc., there is a 0% penalty for 72 hours (no questions asked) after each assignment deadline, after which you receive 0 credit
Students with Disabilities
Students who may need an academic accommodation based on the impact of a disability must initiate the request with the Office of Accessible Education (OAE). Professional staff will evaluate the request with required documentation, recommend reasonable accommodations, and prepare an Accommodation Letter for faculty dated in the current quarter in which the request is made. Students should contact the OAE as soon as possible since timely notice is needed to coordinate accommodations. The OAE is located at 563 Salvatierra Walk (phone: 650-723-1066, URL: https://oae.stanford.edu/).