Master Autonomous Systems (MAS) - H-BRS
MasterAutonomous Systems (MAS)Accredited by ASIINUniversityof Applied SciencesDepartment of Computer ScienceSankt Augustinwww.inf.fh-bonn-rhein-sieg.de
ContentsWelcome to the MAS ProgramAims of the MAS Program. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2Academic Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3Skills to succeed in the Global World ofAutonomous Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 - 5Teaching Methods. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6Profile of the MAS Faculty . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7Research Profile. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8 - 9Applying for MAS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10Building your Future after MAS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11Impressum:Herausgeber:Der Gründungsrektorder FachhochschuleBonn-Rhein-SiegInhalt:Paul PlögerDesign and Layout:causa formalisinformationdesign,cologneSandra PreußCorporate Design Beauftragteder FachhochschuleBonn-Rhein-SiegPhotos:Eric LichtenscheidtStadt KölnEva TritschlerPrint Office:Farbo Print Media GmbHBischofsweg 48-5050969 KölnStand:05/2007General Information about the Bonn-Rhein-SiegUniversity of Applied Sciences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12 - 13Contacts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14
Welcome to the MAS ProgramProf. Dr.Kurt-Ulrich Witt(Dean)Prof. Dr.Paul PlögerThe rapid development of micro-processor technology and the continuousgrowth of integration density of electronic and mechatronic componentshas yielded a significant cost reductionof high tech products. Due to this development, it has become feasible toembed devices for information processing or communication into all sorts ofappliances. For example, we find themin production facilities, traffic and transport systems, mobile and service robotsand high tech toys. In future, a growingnumber of these devices will be embedded into complex mechatronic systems,in production environments as well as inour everyday life. They tend to becomeinvisible behind the system's functionality yet they occupy a rapidly growingmarket share.The dynamic nature of this field of operations demands flexibility and adaptability. Well-established control paradigmsand architectures fall short of adequatelyrealizing the full potential of these technologies, nor are they sufficient tomaster the growing complexity of thesesystems.One solution is to design selected components as 'autonomous systems' whichcan act mainly by themselves withoutcontinuous external control. In this context, autonomous robots and mobilemanipulators form the forefront ofrecent developments.In the Master's Program 'AutonomousSystems' (MAS) students will learn thepractical skills and intellectual abilitiesnecessary for the design and development of such autonomous systems. ThisMaster's Program takes the form ofa "Master by Research". So a large partof the program consists of direct participation in research and developmentprojects.We offer a stimulating and challengingexperience in an international andinterdisciplinary learning environmentto ambitious individuals who show anextraordinary level of commitment, selfinitiative, and self-responsibility. If this isthe kind of experience you are lookingfor, we look forward to meeting you inperson.Prof. Dr. Kurt-Ulrich Witt(Dean)Prof. Dr. Paul Plöger1
Aims of the MAS ProgramSolid foundation for a successful careerThe goal of this Master's Program is toprovide further in-depth scientific concepts, methods and techniques to thosestudents who have already attained aqualifying academic degree. The MASProgram offers a sound way to deepenknowledge in computer science and qualifies for a leading edge area in appliedcomputer science. It provides graduatesfrom other subject areas with additionalIT qualifications.Students will learn how to developthese concepts, methods and techniquesand how to apply them to the solutionof complex practical problems. The problems and principles of the design ofdistributed, interacting autonomoussystems are central to this course ofstudy. The program is strongly directedto practical applications since half of theoverall ECTS units are gained from theproject work embedded into the course.The majority of students pursue theirprojects in the Fraunhofer Institut fürIntelligente Analyse- und Informationssysteme (IAIS), which is located nearbythe university in a castle. At SchlossBirlinghoven, over 240 employees focuson the development and application ofautonomous systems in the areas ofembodied robots, knowledge discovery,data mining, and security.Functional SkillsThe MAS Program provides the studentwith a broad foundation of knowledgein autonomous systems and the newestscientific findings as well as in established methods currently in practicaluse. We focus on the following fieldsof knowledge: mathematical modelling of systems architectures for component-basedsystems the design, programming, and testingof embedded and autonomous systems, especially robotics systems withspecial focus on mobility, outdoorscenarios and low cost realizations learning for embodied robotsMethodological SkillsExperienced senior professionals have todevelop analytical skills and techniquesthat improve the efficiency of the designand development process. Our MAS graduates will be able to employ scientifically-founded methods in their professionalenvironments. Qualifications will be developed and enhanced in the followingfields: advanced information retrievaltechniques including indexing andcategorization of research scientific methods planning, structuring and publishingof research results agile SW development methods project management methods system modelling methodsSocial SkillsMAS graduates will be capable of actingconfidently and sensitively in social networks since the course work and extracurricular clubbing activities take place ina truly multinational setting. Ability towin research or business partners fortheir aims and motivating them to cooperate is trained. Social skills will bedeveloped in the following areas: social sensitivity and empathy intercultural competency intensively practiced teamwork ability presentation skillsProblem Solving SkillsTackling and solving problems in theframe of real-life projects is one of themajor foundations on which the MASProgram rests. Among the mostprominent learning objectives are to work on complex problemsself-sufficiently to find solutions for advancedproblem cases in a team to handle criticism and conflictsadequately in the team to work on a question under scientificpoints of view and develop state-ofthe-art solutions to transform conceptional work intooperational applications to present and document work inEnglish
Academic Program2/3Structure of the MAS ProgramThe program's modular structureenables students to assess their learningprogress at any given stage. This enhances internationalization, especially whena semester is studied abroad, and alsosimplifies the process of credit transfer toother programs or other universities.DurationGoing successfully through the programtakes a total of 4 semesters. The firstsemester is dominated by course work,followed by two semesters of combinedcourse work and research and development projects. The fourth and finalsemester is exclusively devoted to theMaster Thesis. The program is taught ontwo consecutive days of the week, thusparticipants can focus either on projectsor on university topics. The programstarts twice each year, namely in earlyApril (Summer Term) and early October(Winter Term).Teaching LanguageAll courses are given in English. Nativespeakers teach additional language courses, available through the university'slanguage centre.Overview of Structure1st Year1st SemesterTotalModule AS15 lectures5 exercises1 seminar1 traineeship30 ECTS30 ECTS2nd Semester2nd Year 3rd Semester4th SemesterModule AS22 lectures2 exercises1 seminarModule R&D11st R&D15 ECTS15 ECTSModule AS32 lectures2 exercises1 seminarModule R&D22nd R&D15 ECTS15 ECTS30 ECTS30 ECTSModule MTHMaster ThesisMaster Colloquium25 ECTS5 ECTS30 ECTS120 ECTSOverall
Skills to succeed in the Global World of Autonomous SystemsCourses in the MAS ProgramThe two-year curriculum is comprised of: nine courses, each with exercises three seminars one traineeship two part-time R&D projects one full-time Master Thesis projectThe purpose of the first semester is tobuild a fundamental base of knowledgeand to teach the skills required to successfully complete the research anddevelopment projects in the followingsemesters. Each course is based onscientific methods and has at the sametime practical applications. Each modulein the curriculum provides an additionalqualification, so that in the end the successful participant becomes a highlyqualified engineer.Autonomous Mobile RobotsThis course acquaints students with basicand advanced concepts of robotics andsensorimotorical systems, and essentialconcepts and techniques for mobilityand navigation.Robot ArchitecturesThis lecture acquaints the students withthe problems involved in designing anautonomous, intelligent system out ofhardware- and software componentssuch that it meets the requirements ofgiven tasks and environments.Control and Systems TheoryThis course recaptures some of the basicsand adds some special, currently appliedmathematical techniques from controland systems theory. Mathematical foundations for research work are presentedto acquaint students with needed theorems and applied program packages tosolve the problems.Hardware/Software Co-designof Embedded SystemsThe foundations of this lecture lie inthe areas of sensors, signal processing,microcontrollers and hardware design.HW/SW co-design deals with the question of which parts of an algorithmshould go into software and which intohardware.Agile Software Team TechniquesThis traineeship conveys practical knowledge of modern software engineeringmethods, in particular agile developmentmethods. Agile techniques are studiedand practiced in the context of developing software for robotics and embedded systems. Object-oriented softwaredesign and software patterns serve as afoundation. Software team techniquesfrom extreme programming, such asrefactoring and pair programming, arepracticed.Introduction to Scientific WorkThe student will learn how to systematically approach a new (scientific) subject, how to identify the state of the artin a certain field and what has beenachieved, how to identify the hard problems and open issues and ultimatelyhow to define the direction of his or herown research.Learning and AdaptivityThe objective of this course is to introduce students to concepts, methods,and tools for implementing learning andadaptivity in robots. Students will knowthe benefits and pitfalls, and well as prerequisites and limitations of various learning approaches and their associatedmethods and techniques.Probabilistic ReasoningThis course examines some of the techniques for modelling decision problemsof various types and the computationalmethods used to solve them. It focusesmainly on probabilistic models of reasoning, and on sequential decisionmaking.
4/5Advanced Scientific WorkingThe goal of this seminar, which is a continuation of the seminar "Introductionto Scientific Work" is to advance the students in their capabilities to work on ascientific subject and to conduct independent research beyond the state ofthe art.Master SeminarThe student should prove her or hisability to find, present, and defend theproposed topic of their Masters' thesisin three different states.Advanced Filtering andSensor FusionSensors constitute the perceptual system of a robot. Thus, their correct reading and analysis is essential for anyreasonable behaviour of the robot. Thecourse covers advanced techniques likeadaptive filtering and some techniquesin sensor fusion.Computer VisionThe objective of this course is to introduce advanced concepts of computerand active vision. These include acquisition, representation, and derivation ofmodel knowledge, integration of multisensory data into the vision process,efficient design and implementation ofcomputer vision algorithms, especiallyunder real-time aspects.Planning and SchedulingThis course introduces concepts, methods, and tools for task-level planningand scheduling. Students should knowthe state-of-the-art in task planningand be able to select and apply adequatemethods for use in robot applications.Robot ManipulationThis course presents an introduction tothe basics of robot manipulation.Participants will become acquainted withthe basic mathematical and physicalmodels to describe, design and programrobots for manipulation tasks.Reliability Modelling andResidual Risks of Technical SystemsIn today's technology, reliability andsafety are increasing in importance.While it is still possible to describe thebehaviour of simple electro-mechanicalsystems with deterministic models, complex semiconductor technology necessitates the application of probabilisticmethods, especially with respect to thesystem's safety and reliability.Modelling and SimulationThe participants shall come to knowand understand advanced state-of-theart methods and techniques in modelling, simulation and control of engineering systems.R&D FociAll applied R&D projects can be conducted in the Fraunhofer Institut fürIntelligente Analyse- und Informationssysteme (IAIS) or one of the cooperatingcompanies. In this part of the programeach project is subsumed under at leastone of the following topics: System Architecture Robot Navigation and Manipulation Visual Information Processing Autonomy, Adaptivity, and Learning Embedded Systems Design Ambient Intelligence
Teaching MethodsThe teaching methods in the master program reflect the latest didactic developments. They will be incorporated into theprogram after they have been thoroughlytested for effectiveness.Seminars and LecturesThe focus of this classical type of coursework lies in an interactive, discussionbased lecture. Classes are usually smalland therefore create very intensive andideal learning conditions that enhancethe learning process in all its phases.Guided Project WorkThe R&D projects confront the studentwith real-life situations under the auspices of senior scientists in the FraunhoferInstitute IAIS or a senior engineer in oneof the cooperating companies. Case studies train students to identify relevantproblems and to develop effective, scientifically sound solutions. Furthermore,students may exercise leadership abilitiesin group-based project work.ExercisesExercises consolidate and expand learning outcomes while at the same timethey offer the students the opportunityto apply their knowledge in the contextof practical problems.Guest SpeakersVisiting guest speakers foster the students to engage themselves in dialogueand discussions with internationalexperts.Applied Master ThesisA practical Master Thesis concludes theprogram. The Master Thesis should covera specific problem from the student'sR&D context and present a practical, viable and sound solution.Other Teaching MethodsIn addition to these principal teachingmethods, lecturers employ further techniques to activate and motivate thestudents such as: creativity techniques tele-seminars are conducted by leadingresearchers in the context of ongoingfunded multi-party research projects. excursions participation in tournaments such asRoboCup
Profile of the MAS FacultyTeaching experience and professional backgroundsThe team of instructors in the MASProgram consists of professors with established teaching experience and longstanding professional backgrounds inrenowned international companies andorganizations.Applied Research Facilities:Fraunhofer Institut für IntelligenteAnalyse- und Informationssysteme (IAIS)Fraunhofer Institut für Produktionstechnik und Automatisierung (IPA)Steinbeiss Stiftung (STW) StuttgartForschungsinstitut für Anwendungsorientierte Wissensverarbeitung(FAW Ulm) Universities:University of UlmFachhochschule KölnRheinische Fachhochschule, Köln Public Ministries, EU Commission,Professional Associations:IEEE Robotics and Automation SocietyEuropean Robotics Research Network(EURON II)IEEE International Conference on Robotand Human Interaction (ROMAN)Deutsche Gesellschaft für Robotik DGRTrustee Board of the RoboCupFederation Courses are taught by thefollowing Computer Sciencefaculty members:Prof. Dr. WolfgangBorutzkyModeling, simulation,visualization oftechnical systemsProf. Dr. Thomas BreuerComputer engineeringProf. Dr. Rainer HerpersImage processing, computergraphics, multimediaProf. Dr. Andre HinkenjannApplication ofmultimedia systemsProf. Dr.-Ing. Norbert JungEmbedded systemsProf. Dr.-Ing.Gerhard KraetzschmarAutonomous Systems IIICooperating multi-agentsystems, adaptive autonomous agents, middleware,SW engineeringProf. Dr. Paul G. Plöger,Autonomous Systems IIEmbedded system design,construction of robots,mathematical foundationsProf. Dr. Erwin Prassler,Autonomous Systems IRobot architectures,service robotics, low-costrobotics, learning,probabilistic reasoningProf. Dr. Dietmar ReinertDesign of reliable systems6/7
Research ProfileArchitectures for Intelligent SystemsHow to design dependable service robots, which operate safely and reliablyin everyday environments, is an openresearch issue. There are well-establishedsolutions for closed environments frommanufacturing industries, such as the useof rigid mechanical structures or opticalcurtains. These are not applicable indomestic robotics, since here the environments are open. Thus, each component must be enabled to operate intelligently all by itself and, secondly, at thesystem level we need to address thequestion of how to compose numerousautonomous components in one roboticsystem. In detail, we deal with the following topics: dependable design concepts for fault-tolerantarchitectures robust autonomy failure models, self-modelsand self-awarenessThe following topics outline a researchroad map of the MAS Program which isa part of the B-IT Applied ScienceInstitute. This Institute is affiliated to thedepartment of Computer Science andhosts the MAS Program. There are threefocal points, which range from very basicresearch in intelligent systems, to veryselective and applied topics, for example,in service robotics and low cost robotics.We aim at a rapid technology transfer tosmall and medium-sized companies,which have started to shape a new industry for intelligent systems.The mission underlying our researchroadmap is to develop and maintainkey expertise areas which show aparticularly high industrial relevance.In all our research and developmentactivities, our objective is to involvelocal, national, as well as internationalcompanies.A small mobile platform with a manipulator will serve as a first demonstratorfor the central ideas. Areas of motion inplane and manipulation in 3D need tobe merged in a compliant way. Issuesinvolved are 3D obstacle detection andavoidance, middleware and hybrid control architectures for mobile manipulation.Results of the research focus“Architectures for Intelligent Systems“will be of special interest for industrialcompanies. Some of them are alreadypartners in a Coordinated Actionfunded by the EU as a project entitled“Robot Standards and Architectures“(RoSta). Secondly, potential exploitersare all industrial members of the DESIREconsortium, which is a research projectin service robotics initiated and fundedby the German Federal Ministry ofEducation and Research, among themare the German robotics companiesKuka, Schunk and Siemens.
8/9LearningThe objective of this focal point is to develop strong expertise in the intersectionof the fields of robotics and learning.We study various paradigms for
text, autonomous robots and mobile manipulators form the forefront of recent developments. In the Master's Program 'Autonomous Systems' (MAS) students will learn the practical skills and intellectual abilities necessary for the design and develop-ment of such autonomous systems. This Master's Program takes the form of a "Master by Research". So .
Page 2 Autonomous Systems Working Group Charter n Autonomous systems are here today.How do we envision autonomous systems of the future? n Our purpose is to explore the 'what ifs' of future autonomous systems'. - 10 years from now what are the emerging applications / autonomous platform of interest? - What are common needs/requirements across different autonomous
ERP MAS 90, Sage ERP MAS 200, and Sage ERP MAS 200 SQL. This manual also contains information and troubleshooting tips on the configuration of the various operating systems and environments in which the Sage ERP MAS software is supported. The instructions contain detailed technical information on the configuration ofFile Size: 1MB
Autonomous Differential Equations 1. A differential equation of the form y0 F(y) is autonomous. 2. That is, if the right side does not depend on x, the equation is autonomous. 3. Autonomous equations are separable, but ugly integrals and expressions that cannot be solved for y make qualitative analysis sensible. 4.
Florida Statutes - Autonomous Vehicles (2016) HB 7027, signed April 4. th. 2016 - updates: F.S. 316.85 -Autonomous Vehicles; Operation (1) "A person who possesses a valid driver license may operate an autonomous vehicle in autonomous mode on roads in this state if the vehicle is equipped with autonomous technology, as defined in s. 316. .
xt-generation autonomous systems - Main Characteristics . Next-generation autonomous systems emerge from the needs to further automate existing complex organizations by progressive and incremental replacement of human agents by autonomous agents. Such systems exhibit "broad intelligence" by using and producing knowledge in order to
systems to autonomous systems. Firstly, the autonomy and autonomous systems in different fields are summarized. The article classifies and summarizes the architecture of typical automated systems and infer three suggestions for building an autonomous system architecture: extensibility, evolvability, and collaborability.
2 Research and development case study: Robotics and autonomous systems research Introduction This case study on robotics and autonomous systems research is one of a series that we have developed to support and complement our published report on research and development. Our examination of robotics and autonomous systems research
down your commitment to practice jazz piano, tell it to others, and schedule in specific practice times. MONTH ONE: Jazz Piano 101 A. Chord types (Play each in all keys) 2 B. Quick Fix Voicing C. ETUDE: (Quick fix voicings with inversions for better voice leading) ALL MUSICAL EXAMPLES TAKEN FROM “JAZZ PIANO HANDBOOK” (ALFRED PUBLISHING) AND USED WITH PERMISSION MONTH TWO: Position .
