Professor Wheeler Ruml
This graduate seminar is focused on research in the area of planning, which is the part of AI concerned with deciding what to do. The idea is to learn what research in the area is like by actually doing some of it. The exact topic will be determined by the interests of the participants. Student from prior years are welcome to take the class again and either extend their previous work or choose a new topic. Examples of possible topics include:
The main student deliverables will be brief written responses to the papers each week and a substantial paper at the end of the semester reporting on the research project. Projects can be done in teams or individually. Projects can focus on general-purpose planning algorithms or topics more specific to robotics. Projects that relate specifically to robotics can be implemented in simulation or on actual robots. Prior exposure to algorithms (eg, CS 758/858) and either artificial intelligence (eg, CS 730/830) or robotics (eg, CS 733/833) is helpful but not required. Advanced undergraduates in CS and graduate students outside of CS are welcome but should probably check with me to ensure they have the background to succeed in the class.
Meeting time and place: For Fall 2024, we are scheduled to meet Tuesdays and Thursdays 2:10-3:30pm in Kingsbury N223 (the CS department conference room). Let me know if you can't make it at those times and we can try to find a time that works for everyone.
The seminar is usually offered every fall semester.
Fri Dec 8 noon-2pm: poster presentations
Thu Dec 7: final presentations
Tue Dec 5: guest lecture on marine autonomy by Exail
Thu Nov 30: paper drafts due, those not in seminar present status updates
Tue Nov 28: how to write a paper, give a talk, and design a poster
[ Thu Nov 23 is Thanksgiving ]
Tue Nov 21: TAMP (IJRR, 2022)
Thu Nov 16: SM-Type(h) (ICAPS, 2022)
Tue Nov 14: movies, status updates
Thu Nov 9: birds in boots (AIIDE, 2021)
[ Tue Nov 7 is a Friday schedule ]
Thu Nov 2: LTS+CM (IJCAI, 2023)
Tue Oct 31: interim presentations
Thu Oct 26: potential search (ICAPS, 2011). if you are interested, see also DPS (SoCS-16)
Tue Oct 24: movies, status updates
Thu Oct 19: ILDS (AAAI, 1996)
Tue Oct 17: movies, status updates
Thu Oct 12: VRP (J Heuristics, 1995)
Tue Oct 10: movies, status updates
Thu Oct 5: empirical methodology: Hooker (J Heuristics, 1995) and Ruml (SoCS, 2010)
Tue Oct 3: monobead (ICAPS, 2022)
Thu Sep 28: AlphaZero and supplement (Science, 2018)
Tue Sep 26: problem presentations
Thu Sep 21: D*lite (AAAI, 2002)
Tue Sep 19: the LKH TSP heuristic (EJOR, 2000)
Thu Sep 14: alternating heuristics (extended TR version of an ICAPS-10 short paper)
Tue Sep 12: learning heuristic error online (ICAPS, 2011)
Thu Sep 7: MCPP (RAL, 2023)
Tue Sep 5: rectangle search (see email for link)
Thu Aug 31: ARA* (NIPS, 2003)
Tue Aug 39: We'll talk about what topics we might want to focus on for this semester. Bring ideas! If you are new to reading papers, you might want to review How to Read a Paper and The Task of the Referee.
Thu Dec 9: final presentations: Thomas, Kirk, Steve
Tue Dec 7: final presentations: Yi and Devin
Thu Dec 2: paper drafts due
Tue Nov 30: suboptimal SIPP (SoCS 2021)
[ Thu Nov 25: Thanksgiving ]
Tue Nov 23: Planning Long Dynamically Feasible Maneuvers (IJRR, 2009)
Thu Nov 18 Steve, Thomas, and Yi
Tue Nov 16: task and motion planning (IJRR, 2021). See email for PDF link.
[ Thu Nov 11: Veteran's Day ]
Tue Nov 9: GBFS-LS (ICAPS, 2015)
Thu Nov 4: Kirk and Devin
Tue Nov 2: conservative heuristics (ICAPS, 2019)
Thu Oct 14: Steve, Thomas, and Yi
Tue Oct 26: GBFS (IJCAI, 2018)
Thu Oct 21: Kirk and Devin
Tue Oct 19: BVPI (UAI, 2017)
Thu Oct 14: Steve, Thomas, and Yi present their project progress.
Tue Oct 12: SMARRT (arxiv, 2021)
Thu Oct 7: Kirk and Devin present their project progress.
Tue Oct 5:alternating queues (extended version of ICAPS-10 paper)
Thu Sep 30: speedy vs greedy (SoCS, 2014)
Tue Sep 28: DAS (SoCS, 2011)
Thu Sep 23: D*lite (AAAI, 2002)
Tue Sep 21: pick one: SIPP (ICRA, 2011) or anytime SIPP (IROS, 2012)
Thu Sep 16: chapter 3 of Alex Brown's MS thesis on RBPC (UNH, 2020)
Tue Sep 14: RIOT (IROS, 2021)
Thu Sep 9: Type wA* (IJCAI, 2021)
Tue Sep 7: BIT* (IJRR, 2020)
Thu Sep 2: ARA* (NIPS, 2003)
Tue Aug 31: We'll talk about what topics we might want to focus on for this semester. Bring ideas! If you are new to reading papers, you might want to review How to Read a Paper and The Task of the Referee.
Thu Dec 5: project presentations (20+5 min each)
Tue Dec 3: hierarchical FMT* (WAFR 2016))
Thu Nov 21: parti-game (MLJ, 1995). Also, paper drafts due (AAAI latex style linked at bottom of page)..
Thu Nov 14: D*lite (AAAI, 2002)
Thu Nov 7: BULB (IJCAI, 2005)
Thu Oct 31: adaptive dimensionality (SoCS, 2011)
Thu Oct 24: MP-RRT (ICRA, 2007)
Thu Oct 17: SST (IJRR, 2016)
Thu Oct 10: estimating search progress (SoCS, 2012)
Thu Oct 3: RRTx (IJRR, 2015)
Thu Sept 26: sampling A* (IJRR, 2014)
Thu Sept 19: DAS (SoCS, 2011)
Tue Sept 17: GUST (TRO, 2015)
Thu Sep 12: DIRT (IROS, 2018)
Tue Sep 10: beast (IROS, 2017)
Thu Sep 5: BIT* (ICRA, 2015)
Tue Sep 3: RRT completeness (WAFR, 2014)
Thu Aug 29: ARA* (NIPS, 2003)
Tue Aug 27: Intro to the seminar and quick review of types of algorithms for planning, Preview of possible project topics. If you are new to reading papers, you might want to review How to Read a Paper and The Task of the Referee.
Thu Dec 6: TBD
Thu Nov 29: viz graphs (ICRA 2006)
Thu Nov 25: orienteering problems (EJOR 2011)
Thu Nov 8: CTSP (RAL, 2017)
Thu Oct 25: EST (IJRR, 2002)
Tue Oct 16: MFM for USVs (Ocean Eng, 2017)
Thu Oct 4: receding horizon inspection (Auton Rob, 2018)
Tue Sep 25: COLREGs (IROS 2014)
Thu Sep 20: D*lite (IEEE TRO, 2005)
Tue Sep 18: BIT* (ICRA, 2015)
Thu Sep 13: any-angle biased RRT (ICRA, 2016)
Tue Sep 11: visibility graphs (ICAPS, 2016)
Thu Sep 6: Planning Long Dynamically Feasible Maneuvers (IJRR, 2009)
Tue Sep 4: HPN (ICRA, 2011)
Thu Aug 30: ARA* (NIPS, 2003)
Tue Aug 28: We'll talk about what topics we might want to focus on for this semester. If you are new to reading papers, you might want to review How to Read a Paper and The Task of the Referee.
Thur Dec 7: IBSP (IROS, 2015). Programming project demos.
Tues Dec 5: PRMs (IJRR, 1997)
Thur Nov 30: STS (AAMAS, 2013)
Tues Nov 28: task and motion planning (ICRA, 2014)
[ Thur Nov 23: Thanksgiving ]
Tues Nov 21: eps-greedy (AAAI, 2016). Programming project updates.
Thur Nov 16: FMT* (IJRR, 2015)
Tues Nov 14: NBS (IJCAI, 2017)
Thur Nov 9: CL-RRT (IEEE Trans Control Sys Tech, 2009).
[ Tue Nov 7: Friday schedule, no class ]
Thur Nov 2: anytime RRT* (ICRA, 2011). New handbook entries due, programming project updates.
Tue Oct 31: EES (IJCAI, 2011)
Thur Oct 26: BOSS (JFR, 2008). comments on handbook entries due.
Tue Oct 24: RBFScr (AAAI, 2015)
Thu Oct 19: breath-first heuristic search (ICAPS, 2004). Also, revised handbook entries due for rotation and feedback
Tues Oct 17: iSST (JFR, to appear)
Thu Oct 12: handbook entries due, everyone presents for 12 minutes
Tue Oct 10: GUST (TRO, 2015)
Thu Oct 5: handbook entries due, Andrew presents
Tue Oct 3: Wheeler presents
[ Tue Sept 26 and Thu Sept 28: IROS, no meetings ]
Thu Sept 21: handbook entries due, Alison presents
Tue Sept 19: dynamic f-hat (JAIR, 2015)
Thu Sept 14: handbook entries due, William presents
Tue Sept 12: A* (IEEE Trans Sys Sci Cyb, 1968)
Thu Sept 7: BIT* (ICRA, 2015)
Tue Sept 5: RRT (IJRR, 2001)
Thu Aug 31: ARA* (NIPS, 2003)
Tues Apr 25: variable level-of-detail planning (ECAI, 2010)
Tue Apr 11: TBL (ICRA, 2009)
Tues Mar 21: architecture
Tue Feb 28: D*lite (IEEE TRO, 2005)
Tue Feb 14: MP-RRT (ICRA, 2007)
Tue Feb 7: PLRTA* (AI Comm, 2014)
Thu Feb 2: ARA* (NIPS, 2003)
Tue Jan 31: Planning Long Dynamically Feasible Maneuvers (IJRR, 2009)
Thu Jan 26: We'll talk about what topics we want to cover and the hardware we have to play with. To prepare, you might want to browse around ROS.org and review How to Read a Paper and The Task of the Referee.
[ Tue May 3: no class, Wheeler away ]
Thu Apr 27: AEES (SoCS, 2012)
Tue Apr 26: PLRTA* (AI Comm, 2014)
Thu Apr 21: TBA* (ICRA, 2009)
Tue Feb 9: implementing heuristic search algorithms in C++ (SoCS, 2012) and in Java (IBM devWorks, 2013)
Thu Feb 4: Dynamic f hat (JAIR, 2015)
Tue Feb 2: real-time search (AIJ, 1990) - might require being on UNH network
Thu Jan 28: ARA* (NIPS, 2003)
Tue Jan 26: We'll talk about what topics we want to cover and look over the hardware we have to play with. To prepare, you might want to browse around ROS.org and review How to Read a Paper and The Task of the Referee.
Wed Dec 17, 10am: Final papers (1 hardcopy and an emailed PDF), videos (preferably mp4), and source code (emailed tarball) due at Wheeler's office.
Fri Dec 12, noon (NOTE NEW TIME): final paper presentations (15-20 min talk + 10 min discussion each). Be sure to bring a video of your system working.
Wed Dec 10: Discussion of final papers (25 min each). Bring 3 copies of each of your reviews to class.
Mon Dec 8: Review version of final papers due - bring 4 hardcopies. Here's a link to ICRA format for LaTeX. No other reading due.
Wed Dec 3: multi-heuristic A* (RSS, 2014)
Mon Dec 1: autonomous quadcopters (RAM 2014)
[ Wed Nov 26 is a "Friday" ]
Mon Nov 24: CIRCA (AIJ, 1995)
Wed Nov 19: NAMO (WAFR, 2012)
Mon Nov 17: quick status update presentations. Also, give Wheeler a hardcopy outline of your final paper, including a title and full abstract.
Wed Nov 12: SMAP (ICRA 2010)
Mon Nov 10: nearest neighbors (PAMI, 2014). If you haven't seen k-d trees, background is here (TOMS, 1977). And FYI, adapting k-d trees for motion planning (TRO 2007)
Wed Nov 5: grasping from vision (IROS, 2005)
Mon Nov 3: manipulation (IJRR, 2004)
Wed Oct 29: informed RRT* (IROS, 2014)
Mon Oct 27: ATS+EB (Auton Robots, 2012)
Wed Oct 22: quick status update presentations Also, f-biased RRT (extended version of SoCS, 2012)
Mon Oct 20: [ special meeting place for today: CEPS Dean's conference room (W290?) ] particle filters (UAI invited talk, 2002)
Wed Oct 15: [ special meeting place for today: ECE conference room: Kingsbury W208 ] multipartite RRTs (ICRA, 2007)
Mon Oct 13: RR-GP (Auton Robots, 2013)
Wed Oct 8: model-predictive motion planning (R&AMag, 2014)
Mon Oct 6: pose references (extended version of ICRA, 2014)
Wed Oct 1: PLRTA* (AICom, 2014)
Mon Sep 29: SPARSE-RRT (IROS 2013)
Wed Sep 24: RRT (IJRR, 2001)
Mon Sep 22: Planning Long Dynamically Feasible Maneuvers (IJRR, 2009)
Wed Sep 17: HPN (ICRA, 2011)
Mon Sep 15: aSyMov (IJRR, 2009)
Wed Sep 10: hybrid search (AAAI, 2013)
Mon Sep 8: ARA* (NIPS, 2003)
Wed Sep 3: We'll talk about what topics we want to cover and look over the hardware we have to play with. To prepare, you might want to browse around ROS.org and review How to Read a Paper and The Task of the Referee.