Syllabus: Robotics for Creative Practice ¶

16-375/54-375 IDeATe: Robotics for Creative Practice

TR 12:00PM-1:50PM

Hunt Library A10 (IDeATe Physical Computing Lab)

office hours: in HL A10 on request (see Office Hours and Zoom)

https://courses.ideate.cmu.edu/16-375

Instructor: Dr. Garth Zeglin (garthz) (pronouns: he/him/his)

IDeATe Collaborative Course, offered by Drama and The Robotics Institute

IDeATe Programs: Intelligent Environments, Physical Computing

Course Description ¶

The course is offered the same under either 16-375 or 54-375, although with slightly varying descriptions as noted in italics:

16-375 IDeATe: Robotics for Creative Practice

Robots come in all shapes and sizes: it is the integration of software and hardware that can make any machine surprisingly animate. This project-oriented course brings art and engineering together to build performance systems using embodied behavior as a creative medium. Students learn skills for designing, constructing and programming automated systems for storytelling and human interaction, then explore the results through exhibition and performance. Technical topics include closed-loop motion control, expressive physical and computational behavior, machine choreography, and performance conceptualization. Discussion topics include both contemporary kinetic sculpture and robotics research. This interdisciplinary course is part of IDeATe Physical Computing but is open to any student.

54-375 IDeATe: Robotics for Creative Practice

Robots come in all shapes and sizes: it is the integration of software and hardware that can make any machine surprisingly animate. This project-oriented course brings art and engineering together to build performance systems using embodied behavior as a creative medium. Students learn skills for designing, constructing and programming automated systems for storytelling and human interaction, then explore the results through exhibition and performance. Technical topics include programmed motion control, machine design, closed-loop feedback systems, machine choreography, and human-robot interaction. Discussion topics include contemporary kinetic sculpture and animatronics. This interdisciplinary course is part of IDeATe Physical Computing but is open to any student.

Prerequisites and Enrollment

This course has no formal prerequisites, but students are expected to have junior-level technical skills within their own discipline. If you have any questions concerning prerequisites please contact the instructor. Total enrollment is limited to 20 students, drawn from all departments.

Detailed Description ¶

This collaborative course brings art and engineering together to explore interdisciplinary practice at the intersection of drama, music, and robotics. This exploration is the key aim of IDeATe: we are developing practitioners who can effectively utilize their expert domain knowledge in collaboration with other disciplines. This involves developing both rigorous individual expertise as well as skill with negotiating the vocabularies of other domains. Students will be expected to learn skills from outside their home discipline and teach their own expertise, but more importantly, to develop their abilities to collaborate in diverse groups.

The students in the course work in assigned groups to develop performance machines, culminating in a public show. These machines use embodied behavior as a creative medium for storytelling and performance. The technical portion of the course includes a number of techniques: machine design, kinematics, feedback control, real-time programming, and machine choreography.

The course project revolves around the following question: what does it mean to be surprisingly animate? This phrase originally comes from a quip between roboticists [1] but suggests a number of subsidiary questions:

What do we mean by animate?

How do we create behavior without computation?

How does embodiment change our perceptions of computation?

Each year the course develops a different theme. This year will focus on the hidden agency implicit in human-robot interaction. We will both make simple robotic interaction devices from scratch and program robots at the AI Makerspace. Our designs will evolve through role play, prototypes, and field tests, culminating in a final demo.

Learning Objectives ¶

Upon completion of this course the students will be able to:

formulate a narrative goal as an interaction of a machine and material or objects

apply basic closed-loop control techniques to create joint-level position control

construct actuated machines with articulated structures

program robots using basic state machines, feedback control, and planning algorithms to create the illusion of life and agency

simulate multi-robot systems incorporating real-world dynamics

collaborate with teams of artists, designers, engineers, and computer scientists to create performance technology

use machine behavior as an artistic medium

It also incorporates the general goals of IDeATe to develop hybrid students with integrated knowledge in technology and arts. This stresses the following general skills:

algorithmic and analytic thinking

end-to-end execution of project concepts

communication through writing, drawing, and speaking

professional preparation

Prerequisite Knowledge ¶

The course has no formal prerequisites because the diverse nature of the student background and breadth of related skills makes it difficult to formulate precise rules.

However, the work expects each student to have junior-level technical skills within their own discipline. In general, this could mean experience with any one of Python programming, parametric 3D CAD, mechanical design, sculptural fabrication, choreography, or composition. It is not expected that any individual possesses all related skills, and project teams are crafted with skill balance in mind.

But in practice, the pace of the course does assume some programming coursework or experience. Students without any programming experience have succeeded but should expect to spend additional time on rapid self-study of elementary Python programming.

Course Structure ¶

The overall structure of the semester proceeds through three main phases:

theoretical foundations explored using simulation tools (four weeks)
practical skills explored using prototype hardware (five weeks)
project and performance development (five weeks)

Weekly Calendar ¶

The day-by-day progress is charted on the Daily Agenda Logbook pages. Following is the general plan.

Weeks	Topics and Project Activities
1-3	Contextual exploration, introduction to human-robot interaction.
4-5	Narrative development, mockup experiments, ad hoc design topics.
5-7	Miniature machine design and fabrication tests.
8-9	Proof-of-concept testing, field observations.
10-11	Makerspace robot programming.
12	Full system integration, testing, design iteration.
13	Preparation for public performance.
14	Documentation, analysis, review and critique.

Daily Schedule ¶

Scheduled classes take place in Hunt A10. The day-by-day agenda is provided on the Daily Agenda Logbook pages. Most scheduled class periods begin with a group discussion activity, followed by more specialized tutorials and individual questions. On specific presentation days the group discussion occupies the entire class period.

The group discussion activities take several forms, but frequently include a brief initial presentation, breakout into smaller groups to work out a specific prompt, then a full-class review of results.

Canvas ¶

The course Canvas site is used only for reporting grades. All assignments can be found on the Daily Agenda Logbook and submissions are either in-person or as Google docs posted in the designated Shared Drive folder.

Assessment and Grading ¶

Revised for Fall 2025.

This is a hands-on course based on lab exercises and projects. There are no quizzes or exams. Most assignments involve programming, designing, or constructing some kind of device or physical demo.

Everybody is assumed to start with an A in the course. If you do the work you will keep it, but failing to fulfill the expectations will cause you to drift downward. The total grade in the course will be weighted approximately 60% for projects, 30% for exercises, and 10% for classroom participation and discussion.

The principal forms of assessment will be verbal critique, peer commentary, and self-reflection. Each student in this course begins with different experiences, disposition, and goals. There are many possible objectives in each assignment, e.g. developing a new skill, testing a new process, or prototyping a concept. Different students may choose different emphasis. The critique will center on the self-chosen goals. Sometimes we all learn more from an ambitious failure than a routine success.

Grading in the course is principally based on the documented evidence of fully engaging with the problems.

Most assignments will be graded either complete or no credit based on fulfilling all the defined objectives, which may include analysis, prototyping, documentation, and reflection. Especially good results may earn limited bonus credit.
In general, individual prototypes should meet the physical performance goals. But please note that a well-executed but ultimately unsuccessful idea will still get credit if the failures can be reasonably documented and explained.
Please note if work isn’t documented in photos and video, it didn’t happen; credit is given based on submitted documentation, not hazy memories of an in-person demonstration.
Formal grading is only reviewed and posted at mid-term and the end. Students are expected to submit assignment documentation on an ongoing basis to be available for review, but the hard submission deadlines are actually the last day before Fall Break and the last day of classes.
For team projects, individual scores for a project may vary from the group score based on peer reports and instructor observations.
Please note that unexecused absences may lower your overall grade as per the Attendance Policy policy.

Course Policies ¶

Attendance Policy ¶

Coming to class on time is mandatory. Attendance is recorded for each class and three unexcused absences will cost you 10% of your final grade, with an additional 10% for each successive missed class. If you must be absent, you must request approval in advance. Late requests will be considered on a case by case basis. Unexcused absences during review days will also reduce your individual project grade. We understand that your other courses have big deadlines, but the designated class hours are the most effective time for discussion and communication.

Lateness ¶

Revised for Fall 2025.

Please finish your assignments on time; it is enormously disruptive to in-class reviews when work is incomplete or missing. In general, work which misses the in-class review deadline will not be given a rescheduled review, so you will not receive verbal critique or peer assessment. Late work will be credited for grading purposes based solely on submitted documentation.

Late work which misses the documentation review deadline will not receive credit, unless prior authorization is obtained from an instructor and documented in email; verbal authorization is not sufficient.

Please remember that something is always better than nothing. If the review is imminent, please bring whatever prototype you have and submit whatever text, images, and drawings you can rather than do nothing.

Health Absence Policy ¶

No one should physically come to class if they are feeling unwell for any reason, whether Covid-19 or something else. Part of the responsibility of each student is respecting the welfare of others.

Please contact your instructor to arrange remote participation (if feasible) and renegotiate due dates and expectations. Generous allowances will be made.

If needed, some or all of the class may switch to Zoom for meetings. The Zoom meeting and password can be found on the Office Hours and Zoom page (login required).

Electronic Devices ¶

The use of devices for non-class activities is strictly prohibited during class time. This especially applies to phones and social media: leave it at home or leave it your pocket.

The instructor reserves the right to confiscate devices without notice. If a persistent problem develops, phones will be banned completely from class.

Class participation is essential for learning and collaboration. An individual engaging with outside distractions has an effect larger than their own attention: it distracts others and diffuses the group focus.

If you feel bored and in need of distraction, then I challenge you to spend that energy instead formulating a question about the material at hand.

Materials and Equipment ¶

Revised for Fall 2025.

IDeATe endeavors to make all needed resources available to students without additional course fees. This class uses the extensive resources of the Physical Computing Lab. Laser-cutting materials are available on request and 3D prints are available for no charge. The class also has a small budget for special final project purchases. Students are also permitted to provide, scavenge, or purchase additional materials for projects. If you find yourself unable to complete the work using the resources at hand, please consult your instructor.

Google Shared Drive and Data Retention ¶

Revised for 2025.

The course uses a semi-public Google Shared Drive for submission of assignment documentation. The access permissions allow authenticated university users to read the contents with the intent that your results will be available to future

All documents, slideshows, photos, videos, etc. must be stored directly in the Shared Drive, not as links or shortcuts from your personal or student Drive space. This will guarantee persistence when your student account is deleted after graduation.

Please note that although Carnegie Mellon has no stated plan to examine file content, there is no fundamental technical reason this could not change in the future. Please consider all data stored on Google systems as potentially subject to future surveillance. This includes Drive, Mail, Gemini, and all other Google productivity apps.

Generative Artificial Intelligence ¶

New for 2025.

Generative AI technologies are rapidly evolving and several AI Services are currently available via your student account. The following policy is a work in progress attempting to balance student desires and course objectives.

While not prohibited, I generally discourage use of generative AI tools. My primary rationale is that using these systems inhibits learning related to the course objectives. Writing and hand-sketching are exploratory, reflective processes which develop spatial thinking, encourage discovery, and uncover tacit knowledge. These processes are not adequately replaced by LLM prompting.
You are completely responsible for the content of your assignment submissions. You must understand and be able to explain each fact, idea, design element, program expression, algorithm, etc. This has always been true, so this should just be a reminder that using AI does not excuse you from the responsibilities of careful authorship.
Any use of an AI service, however indirect, must be acknowledged, describing the system used and a brief summary of your process.
No AI-generated imagery or text may be included verbatim in your assignment submissions. For example, even if you use an image generator while brainstorming project ideas, you must both draw your own rendition of the concept and add acknowlegement of the machine contribution. Likewise, any generated text must be edited and fact-checked by you.
Failure to properly cite use of AI tools will be considered a violation of the Academic Integrity Policy, just as if you had copied content from a source or student without acknowlegement.

Please note this is an ongoing discussion, and I welcome questions and feedback on this policy.

Computing Needs ¶

Each student is expected to provide computing resources for individual work. If this requirement constitutes an individual hardship, please contact the instructor.

The optional course-supported CAD system will be SolidWorks.

Physical Computing Lab ¶

The designated classroom for the course is the IDeATe Physical Computing Lab in Hunt A10. Students will have access to the lab any time outside of scheduled class times via the ID card reader at the door. Please be courteous and refrain from entering during other classes.

Part of taking this course is joining the IDeATe interdisciplinary community. Students with lab access are expected to be a good community member and take responsibility for sharing resources wisely.

All lab users are expected to abide by the Physical Computing Lab Policies. The lab inventory of components and materials is available online at Physical Computing Lab Inventory.

The lab usage schedule is online at IDeATe PhysComp Lab Calendar. Other resources may be reserved using the IDeATe Reservations Calendar.

IDeATe Facilities ¶

The course makes use of the IDeATe fabrication facilities and labs in the lower level of Hunt Library, subject to availability and the current IDeATe policies.

IDeATe laser cutters will be available for trained students. Please see the IDeATe Laser Cutters page for current details on qualification. Qualified students will gain long-term access.
The Mosaic 3D printing system will be operating via an online queue for course-related projects. Resin 3D printing will be available on request.
The adjacent library study rooms operate on a reservation-only system.

The IDeATe facilities are shared student resources and spaces. As such, all members of the IDeATe community are expected to be respectful of the equipment, the spaces, and fellow students and their projects. Always clean up after completing your work, put things back in their correct place, and leave the lab in better condition than you found it.

Federal Law Enforcement ¶

New for 2025.

There is currently no expectation the campus or our classroom will be visited by agents from the FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation), ICE (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement), HSI (Homeland Security Investigations), or other federal forces. However, this could change at any point. The following guide is not legal advice but my requested classroom procedure in the event of a visit.

Do not open the door. As a private space, we are not required to allow entry unless presented with a valid judicial search warrant.
Please notify CMU Campus Security at 412-268-2323.
Please record the encounter using audio and video.
Please do not speak to agents. You have the right to remain silent.
If no instructor is present, please announce that the space is private and you do not consent to entry, search or questioning. If agents persist, demand a judicial warrant passed under the door.
Please stay calm and observe closely. Please remain in place, do not interfere, and do not lie or mislead.

For additional details and especially advice for persons without US citizenship, I recommend the following sources:

Individual Support ¶

Accommodations for Students with Disabilities ¶

If you have a disability and have an accommodations letter from the Disability Resources office, I encourage you to discuss your accommodations and needs with me as early in the semester as possible. I will work with you to ensure that accommodations are provided as appropriate. If you suspect that you may have a disability and would benefit from accommodations but are not yet registered with the Office of Disability Resources, I encourage you to contact them at access@andrew.cmu.edu.

Respect for Diversity ¶

It is my intent that students from all diverse backgrounds and perspectives be well served by this course, and that the diversity that students bring to this class be viewed as a resource, strength and benefit. It is my intent to present materials and activities that are respectful of diversity: gender, sexuality, disability, age, socioeconomic status, ethnicity, race, and culture. Your suggestions are encouraged and appreciated. Please let me know ways you see to improve equitable treatment of yourself or other students in the course so we can address these questions with clarity.

Student Health and Well-being ¶

Please take care of yourself. Do your best to maintain a healthy lifestyle this semester by eating well, exercising, avoiding drugs and alcohol, getting enough sleep and taking some time to relax. This will help you achieve your goals and cope with stress.

If you or anyone you know experiences any academic stress, difficult life events, or feelings like anxiety or depression, we strongly encourage you to seek support. Counseling and Psychological Services (CaPS) is here to help: call 412-268-2922 and visit https://www.cmu.edu/counseling. Consider reaching out to a friend, faculty or family member you trust for help getting connected to the support that can help.

If you are having difficulty with your coursework, please be aware of the many resources available via the Student Academic Success Center, including coaching, tutoring, communication support, language and cross-cultural support, and supplemental instruction.

Last updated 2025-08-11.