Tentative Schedule
(subject to change).
| Date | Assignment | Topic | Suggested Reading |
|---|---|---|---|
| Module 1: Foundations | |||
| Tue 1/20/2026 | HW0, intro survey out | What is an optimization problem? Costs, constraints, dynamics [slides] | |
| Thu 1/22/2026 | Dynamics: Manipulator equations, integration [board] [code] | PoRA Ch. 1 | |
| Tue 1/27/2026 | Jacobians, linearization, and automatic differentiation [board] [code] | NO Ch. 8, Autodiff with Jax | |
| Thu 1/29/2026 | HW1 out, intro survey due | SE(3): Representing and perturbing orientations [board] [code] | Micro Lie Theory, MR Ch. 3, SER Ch. 7 |
| Tue 2/3/2026 | Gradients and linearization on SO(3) [board] | Micro Lie Theory, MR Ch. 3, SER Ch. 7 | |
| Module 2: Numerical Methods | Thu 2/5/2026 | Unconstrained optimization: first- and second-order methods [board] [code] | NO Chs. 2, 4, AfO Chs. 5-6 |
| Tue 2/10/2026 | Nonlinear least-squares, Gauss-Newton, IK case study [board] [code] | NO Ch. 10 | |
| Thu 2/12/2026 | HW1 due, HW2 out | Constraints and KKT conditions | NO Ch. 12, AfO Ch. 10 |
| Tue 2/17/2026 | February break, no classes | ||
| Thu 2/19/2026 | Project proposal due | Convexity, Quadratic Programs (QPs) | AfO Chs. 13-14, NO Ch. 16 |
| Tue 2/24/2026 | Penalty methods and Augmented Lagrangian | AfO Ch. 10, NO Ch. 17 | |
| Thu 2/26/2026 | Sequential Quadratic Programming (SQP) | NO Ch. 18 | |
| Module 3: Trajectory Optimization | |||
| Tue 3/3/2026 | Optimal control overview, Linear Quadratic Regulator (LQR) | ||
| Thu 3/5/2026 | HW2 due, HW3 out | Iterative LQR (iLQR), Differential Dynamic Programming (DDP) | |
| Tue 3/10/2026 | Handling constraints in MPC via SQP | ||
| Thu 3/12/2026 | Zero-order methods: Sampling-based MPC | ||
| Tue 3/17/2026 | Sampling-based MPC continued: MPPI, DIAL, CEM | ||
| Thu 3/19/2026 | Project milestone due | Case study: Legged locomotion | |
| Module 4: Measurement Uncertainty and State Estimation | |||
| Tue 3/24/2026 | The dual problem: MAP inference and least squares | ||
| Thu 3/26/2026 | HW3 due, HW4 out | (Extended) Kalman filtering as Gauss-Newton | |
| Tue 3/31/2026 | Spring break, no classes | ||
| Thu 4/2/2026 | Spring break, no classes | ||
| Tue 4/7/2026 | Factor graphs and sparse least squares | ||
| Thu 4/9/2026 | SLAM, bundle adjustment | ||
| Module 5: Dynamics Uncertainty and Robustness | |||
| Tue 4/14/2026 | System identification: Estimating model parameters | ||
| Thu 4/16/2026 | HW4 due | System ID continued: Residual physics and model-based RL | |
| Tue 4/21/2026 | Safety filters: Control Barrier Functions (CBFs) and shielding | ||
| Thu 4/23/2026 | Sim-to-real: Domain randomization as robust optimization | ||
| Tue 4/28/2026 | Project workshop | ||
| Thu 4/30/2026 | Guest lecture: Prof. Abhishek Cauligi, Johns Hopkins | ||
| Tue 5/5/2026 | Project video, reports due* | Course summary and final project videos | |