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Comment by AndreaCensi | Hacker News Reader

I am Andrea Censi, one of the creators (https://censi.science). Feel free to AMA!

I'm interested in the student prereqs, and wondering if you could elaborate on them.

You've got four items on there:

  - Basic Linux, Python, Git

  - Elements of linear algebra, probability, calculus

  - Elements of kinematics, dynamics

  - Computer with native Ubuntu installation

It's clear enough what the first and last item demand of the student, but the rest, I'm not so sure. edx lists the course as "Introductory" and I guess the question is, "for whom?" :-)

Good point, probably we should describe them in more detail.

For the second point ("elements of linear algebra .. ") we are going to need to use matrices to represent coordinate systems.

For the third point ("elements of kinematics, dynamics") we are going to write down the equation of motions of the robot with time derivatives (ODEs).

If you have never heard of these things you might want to read up on them first.

That's great information. Thank you for your reply. (and to liampaull as well)

Hi, If you have taken introductory courses on linear algebra, probability, calculus, and mechanics, all of these will prove helpful, but should be considered as required. We will try our best to provide all the basic knowledge required to understand the concepts.

I have experience in deep learning research/engineering in NLP and am getting into ml for robotics.

Really excited for this course + hardware. I think one top value for me personally is that more time could be spent on hacking the ml algorithms, replicating and comparing with real research work (https://www.duckietown.org/archives/63665).

I live in India and find the shipping costs of MOOC Founder's Edition Kit (369 USD + 49 USD) a bit expensive. Just the Duckiebot MOOC Founder's Edition costs 14 USD to ship.idk what custom duty would the govt put on it :(.

1. Is there any alternative to shipping it? 2. Is there anyway to build similar bot from parts for the course? 3. I guess, since you're non-profit it's made such that it's cost effective rather than for profit. It would be great if you describe why you chose each of the component for the current bot.

Hi,

Unfortunately the shipping costs are a pain, we hear you, and custom duties are a thing to consider.

We are actively working to provide a much more effective shipping solution to gradually more countries, and India is high on our list. You can sign up to our mailing list or follow us on Facebook, Linkedin, Twitter or Instagram to stay tuned with updates! (https://www.duckietown.org/contact)

The more we iterate the Duckiebot design the more we tend towards customization; to better engineer it, reduce costs, and provide more engaging learning experiences to a broader audience.

The Founder's edition Duckiebot is designed to host several sensors (IMU, ToF, Camera, wheel encoders), has 4 LEDs, a screen, a special duckie-battery and a PCB that makes it easy to manage everything.

I have a DonkeyCar [1] with a Jetson Nano 4GB. Is it possible to follow the course with that hardware platform?

[1] https://www.donkeycar.com/

Hi BioGeek,

not sure, we never tested the Duckietown stack on a Donkeycar.

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