Tag: NVIDIA

The “Self-Driving cars with Duckietown” hands-on Massive Open Online Course on edX

Posted on | by Jacopo Tani

"Self-Driving Cars with Duckietown" hands-on MOOC on edX

We are launching a massive open online course (MOOC): “Self-Driving Cars with Duckietown” on edX, and it is free to attend! 

This course is made possible thanks to the support of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich (ETHZ), in collaboration with the University of Montreal, the Duckietown Foundation, and the Toyota Technological Institute at Chicago.

This course combines remote and hands-on learning with real-world robots. It is offered on edX, the trusted platform for learning, and it is now open for enrollment. 

Learning activities will support the use of Jetson Nano equipped Duckiebots, powered by NVIDIA.

Enroll on edX

Learning autonomy

Participants will engage in software and hardware hands-on learning experiences, with focus on overcoming the challenges of deploying autonomous robots in the real world.

This course will explore the theory and implementation of model- and data-driven approaches for making a model self-driving car drive autonomously in an urban environment.

Pedestrian detection

MOOC Factsheet

  • Name: Self-driving cars with Duckietown
  • Start: March 2021
  • Platform: edX
  • Cost: free to attend

Prerequisites

  • Basic Linux, Python, Git
  • Elements of linear algebra, probability, calculus
  • Elements of kinematics, dynamics
  • Computer with native Ubuntu installation

What you will learn​

  • Computer Vision
  • Robot operations
  • Object Detection
  • Localization, planning and control
  • Reinforcement Learning
Enroll on edX

Why Self-driving cars with Duckietown?

Teaching autonomy requires a fundamentally different approach when compared to other computer science and engineering disciplines, because it is multi-disciplinary. Mastering it requires expertise in domains ranging from fundamental mathematics to practical machine-learning skills.

Robot Perception 

Robots operate in the real world, and theory and practice often do not play well together. There are many hardware platforms and software tools, each with its own strengths and weaknesses. It is not always clear what tools are worth investing time in mastering, and how these skills will generalize to different platforms. 

Duckiebot Detection

Learning through challenges

Progressing through behaviors of increasing complexity, participants uncover concepts and tools that address the limitations of previous approaches. This allows to get Duckiebots to actually do things, while gradually re-iterating concepts through various technical frameworks. Simulation and real-world experiments will be performed using a Python, ROS, and Docker based software stack.

Robot Planning

Enroll on edX

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This course combines remote and hands-on learning with real-world robots.

It is offered on edX, the trusted platform for learning, and it is now open for enrollment.

Learning activities will support the use of NVIDIA Jetson Nano powered Duckiebots.

Duckietown and NVIDIA work together for accessible AI and robotics education: Meet the NVIDIA powered Duckiebot

Posted on | by Ivano Marocchi

Duckietown and NVIDIA partnership for accessible AI and robotics education

NVIDIA GTC, October 6, 2020: Duckietown and NVIDIA align efforts to push the boundaries of accessible, state-of-the-art higher-education in robotics and AI. The tangible outcome is a brand new “Founder’s edition” Duckiebot, which will be broadly available from January 2021, powered by the new NVIDIA Jetson Nano 2GB platform.

Read the full NVIDIA announcement here.

Meet the NVIDIA powered Duckiebot

Autonomy is already changing the world. Duckietown and NVIDIA recognize the importance of hands-on education in robotics and AI to empower everybody today to understand and design the next generations of autonomy.

The result of this collaboration is a new NVIDIA powered Duckiebot, using the novel Jetson Nano 2GB board, that will enable local execution of machine learning agents in the Duckietown ecosystem. 

To celebrate this special occasion, the Duckiebot has been redesigned to include: new sensors (time of flight, IMU, encoders), a new custom-designed battery providing real time diagnostics (state of charge, remaining autonomy and other health metrics), and fun accessories like a screen to visualize key metrics. All of this while keeping the price accessible for anyone willing to experience the challenges of a real-life robotic ecosystem. 

A great team

“The new NVIDIA Jetson Nano 2GB is the ultimate starter AI computer for educators and students to teach and learn AI at an incredibly affordable price.” said Deepu Talla, Vice President and General Manager of Edge Computing at NVIDIA. “Duckietown and its edX MOOC are leveraging Jetson to take hands-on experimentation and understanding of AI and autonomous machines to the next level.”

“The Duckietown educational platform provides a hands-on, scaled down, accessible version of real world autonomous systems.” said Emilio Frazzoli,  Professor of Dynamic Systems and Control, ETH Zurich, “Integrating NVIDIA’s Jetson Nano power in Duckietown enables unprecedented access to state-of-the-art compute solutions for learning autonomy.”

Learn more

To know more about the technical specifications of the new NVIDIA powered Duckiebot, or to pre-order yours, visit the Duckietown project shop here.

The new Duckiebot will be also used in the “Self-driving Cars with Duckietown” Massive Online Open Course (MOOC) that will be held in March 2021 on edX. You can find more information about the MOOC here.