Getting Started

Guides for getting started

I am a researcher

I am who I am

I am an instructor

Vision

The Duckietown platform contains everything you need to teach an undergraduate or graduate-level class on AI and robotics; from the off-the-shelf hardware, the open-source autonomy stack, the lecture materials, Python notebooks with activities, exercises, and even an evaluation infrastructure for automatic grading!

These materials can be used in several ways:

  1. Class materials – you use the platform and associated education materials to teach a class on robot autonomy.
  2. As an experimental platform – where the hardware and software are used as the laboratory component of another class.
  3. As a flipped classroom – where the students watch the MOOC materials from home and you use the class time to work through the proposed activities and exercises.

Development of the “class-in-a-box”

What the “class-in-a-box” will include:

  • Slides, lecture videos (for inspiration or flipped classroom), Python notebooks.
  • Lecture notes;
  • Exercises;
  • Robot-centered activities and demos;
  • An instructor’s guide;

About the community

If you bring Duckietown to your institution, your students will be joining a fun, global community, which includes worldwide collaboration and competition!

Next steps

  • Take a look at all the resources that we have available to make building your class as smooth as possible
  • You can order hardware kits.

I am a researcher

Vision

We designed Duckietown to be a modular, inexpensive research platform for studying autonomy in complex systems. Think of it as an “experimental simulator”.

 

Value proposition

We provide a baseline implementation for you to be able to rapidly and easily test your algorithms on real physical hardware.

  • Convenience: You can only change the part that interests you and use the rest of the baselines to have a fully functional system.
  • Reproducibility: Your research has a high impact since it uses a standard platform that others can easily replicate. For maximum impact, compete in an AI Driving Olympics (AI-DO).

Tools for research

  • Imitation learning template
  • Reinforcement learning template
  • Database of Duckiebot driving logs
  • Duckiebot driving simulator
  • Modularized code (ROS baseline template)
  • Low cost, standardized robots and smart city environment
  • An international embodied AI competition (AI-DO)

Current users

Please tell us about your research with Duckietown so that we can include it in the list.

Next steps

Learn autonomy with Duckietown

Want to learn autonomy.. in autonomy? You might be a Makademic!

Makademics are a fusion of “makers” and “academics”.

You are a Makademic if you want to learn and build on your own, outside of an educational institution, and also want a deep understanding of how things are working.

Makademics can learn about robotics and AI by building their own Duckietown and using all of the course materials at their own pace.

Duckietown is learning autonomy: we provide a unique hands-on learning experience, and an international community to bounce off ideas with.

Next Steps

Duckietown was much more than just a class, it was a hands-on deep dive into hardware, software, and systems integration, and, most of all, it was a blast!

Teddy Ort

Teddy OrtPh. D. Student, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)

The Duckietown class is the autonomous driving pie: the filling is hardcore robotics, the casing is artificial intelligence, and as a plus you get some funny ducks on top!

Manfred Diaz

Manfred DiazPh. D. Student, University of Montreal

Teaching the Duckietown class was a wonderful experience for me and my students. The materials are great and the hands-on experience with the robot really helps reinforce the curriculum.

Matthew Walter

Matthew WalterProfessor, Toyota Technological Institute at Chicago (TTIC)