Stefano Mintchev: Catalogue data in Autumn Semester 2022 |
| Name | Prof. Dr. Stefano Mintchev |
| Field | Environmental Robotics |
| Address | Professur für Umweltrobotik ETH Zürich, LFW C 55.3 Universitätstrasse 2 8092 Zürich SWITZERLAND |
| Telephone | +41 44 632 85 15 |
| stefano.mintchev@usys.ethz.ch | |
| URL | https://erl.ethz.ch |
| Department | Environmental Systems Science |
| Relationship | Assistant Professor |
| Number | Title | ECTS | Hours | Lecturers | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| 551-0205-00L | Challenges in Plant Sciences  Number of participants limited to 40. | 2 credits | 2K | S. C. Zeeman, S. Mintchev, M. Paschke, B. Pfister, further lecturers | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Abstract | The colloquium “Challenges in Plant Sciences” is a core class of the Zurich-Basel Plant Science Center's PhD program and the MSc module. The colloquium introduces participants to the broad spectrum of plant sciences within the network. The course offers the opportunity to approach interdisciplinary topics in the field of plant sciences. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Learning objective | Objectives of the colloquium are: Introduction to resecent research in all fields of plant sciences Working in interdisciplinary teams on the topics Developing presentation and discussion skills | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Content | The topics encompass integrated knowledge on current plant research, ranging from the molecular level to the ecosystem level, and from basic to applied science while making use of the synergies between the different research groups within the PSC. More information on the content: https://www.plantsciences.uzh.ch/en/teaching/masters/colloquium.html | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| 751-5510-00L | Introduction to Agricultural Robotics  Number of participants limited to 30. | 3 credits | 2G | S. Mintchev | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Abstract | Autonomous robots are quickly becoming a key player in the transition to precision agriculture. In this course, students will learn theoretical and practical aspects of robotics. Lectures will introduce how robots operate and analyse their application to precision agriculture. In hands-on laboratories, students will apply concepts learned in class on educational robots to simulate a weeding task. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Learning objective | After the course, students will be able to critically examine and select appropriate robotic solutions for agricultural applications. The learning objectives of the course are: (i) illustrate the principle of operation of the main components of a robotic system, (ii) analyse how the different robotic components are integrated and contribute to the functioning of a robotic system, and (iii) solve problems in the field of agriculture using robotic principles. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Content | Robots are becoming a key technology in the transition to smart farming and in supporting the agricultural needs of the 21st century. For example, robots enable site-specific fertilization, automated weeding, or livestock herding. The course gives an overview of robotic systems, beginning with their fundamental components (e.g., sensors, actuators, locomotion strategies) and gradually scaling up to the system level, illustrating the concepts of perception, robot control, obstacle avoidance and navigation. Exercises performed with an educational robot (Thymio) will complement the theoretical lectures providing a hands-on practical experience of the challenges of using these machines. During the course, students will gradually apply the theoretical and practical knowledge they are learning. To this end, students will work in teams to develop a robotic solution for an agricultural task of their choice. Students will learn to translate the task into meaningful requirements for a robotic system and critically select the most appropriate components to achieve the required robotic functions. Students will periodically present and discuss the development of this "robot design" exercise during presentations and in a journal report. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Lecture notes | Copies of the slides and exercises will be provided on the course Moodle page. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Literature | - A. Bechar and C. Vigneault, “Agricultural robots for field operations: Concepts and components,” Biosyst. Eng., vol. 149, pp. 94–111, 2016. - S. Asseng and F. Asche, “Future farms without farmers,” Sci. Robot., vol. 4, no. 27, p. eaaw1875, Feb. 2019. - D. C. Rose, J. Lyon, A. de Boon, M. Hanheide, and S. Pearson, “Responsible development of autonomous robotics in agriculture,” Nat. Food, vol. 2, no. 5, pp. 306–309, 2021. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Prerequisites / Notice | No mandatory prerequisites, but it is preferable that students have a basic knowledge of computer programming. Class size limitation to 30 students. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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