uwloo

MTE 544Autonomous Mobile Robots

Units
0.50
Faculty
Engineering
Subject
Mechatronics Engineering

When it runs

  1. F24
  2. W25
  3. S25
  4. F25
  5. W26
  6. S26
  7. F26
  8. W27
  9. S27

Ran in 4 of the last 7 terms. Winter 2027: not on the schedule. Spring 2027: schedule not out yet.

Fundamentals of autonomous mobile robotics, including both perception and planning for autonomous operation, sensor modelling, vehicle state estimation using Bayes Filters, Kalman Filters, and Particle Filters as well as onboard localization and mapping. Topics in planning include vehicle motion modelling and control, as well as graph based and probabilistic motion planning of (Micro Electro Mechanical Systems) MEMS devices.

Prerequisites

Antirequisites

None listed.

Leads to

No course lists it as a requisite.

Fall 2026 sections

Enrolment from UW Open Data, which can trail Quest by up to two days. Instructors and rooms: Schedule of Classes.
SectionClassEnrolledMeets
LEC 0015152110 / 110MW 10:00–11:20
LAB 101523626 / 27M 14:30–17:20
LAB 102524128 / 27W 15:30–18:20
LAB 103525228 / 28F 08:30–11:20
LAB 104540228 / 28F 14:30–17:20
TUT 2015268110 / 110Th 15:00–15:50

Reviewed on UW Flow

77% liked it33% easy82% useful

From 26 ratings and 19 comments on UW Flow. The most helpful comments, quoted as written, without names. Read them all on UW Flow.

  • As a Computer Science student, I feel I provide a Unique prospective on this course, and as I am the only non-eng student who took this course in F23 I see no need to have this post be Anonymous.
    The first few modules of the course covered modelling and kinematics for different kinds of robots. This is basically Linear algebra , though I did find the notation for transformation matrices quite confusing.
    Following the modelling module the course covered basic control theory, localization, path planning.
    As a CS student I found most of the latter half of the course to be review or a surface level covering of probability theory, and AI concepts. I found obfuscating and bouncing around…

    Dec 2023 · liked it · 1 found this helpfulOn UW FlowRemove this

  • The course content is interesting and easy to apply. However, all the labs were conducted using ROS and Turtle robots, and it would be interesting to see examples that are more general or less simple.

    Jan 2026 · liked itOn UW FlowRemove this

  • This course is a fair bit of work and you can teach yourself this material better from Youtube. The Trutlebot 4s used in the lab are also very sucky. The batteries die in half a second and half the robots don't even work.

    Dec 2025 · didn’t like itOn UW FlowRemove this

  • Course was easy and useful but that may have only been the case in Soo Jeon's offering. Labs are worth a lot and final exam is take home.

    Dec 2025 · liked itOn UW FlowRemove this

  • A fun course but has a lot of breadth and lacks depth. As a tron student, I wish I had the opportunity to learn this material over the course of a few years rather than in a single course. Prof. Hu does a great job of delivering all the material and enforcing learning, but the course is so packed with information that missing a couple lectures could really set students back. Labs required time but were interesting and incorporated course material. Final take-home was extremely doable.

    Aug 2025 · liked itOn UW FlowRemove this

Discussed on r/uwaterloo

23 posts and comments in 20 threads mention MTE 544, October 2017 to December 2024. Quoted word for word, newest first; each reply sits under the post and the comment that started its branch. Search r/uwaterloo for newer posts.

Spring 2024

Winter 2024

ML Application Course in MSCI and ECE, Advice 2 points, 5 comments

“I am currently a computer science student who's interested in sit in (and probably try asking professor for some of the assignments) of some of the machine learning related course. …”

u/tendstwofiftytwo: “… C9nsider sniping a seat in MTE544 in the Fall with Yue Hu or take ME597 topic autonomous Mobile Robots in the winter. These courses are basically the same. Covering modeling,controls,localization,pathfinder being heavily labs based. …”

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Spring 2022

A GUIDE ON HOW TO PLAN AN OPTION 29 points, 15 comments

u/1000Ditto: “Hey all, here's an example (by yours truly) of how to plan an option. as someone who has been trying to get many options in but having a hard time, might as well write down my process so others can kind of benefit from it. …”

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Winter 2020

What are some useful engineering courses that's related to ML/AI 5 points, 2 comments

“I am student in Math faculty so I am not as familiar with courses in different Engineering departments. From what I have heard so far, SYD has some courses like SYD552/556 that's related to ML/AI. …”

u/annihilatron: “… I would also recommend MTE544 if you like suicide via clearpath robotics, your project in that course is to get a clearpath robot to do a bunch of things - actually trying to interface a robot with intelligence. …”

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Fall 2019

Spring 2019

Winter 2019

For upper year Trons 5 points, 3 comments

“So I know in fourth year Tron we have to pick technical electives and there are a couple of software related courses. …”

u/SometimesICryAtNight: “MTE544 was hard to get into. Same with some of the machine intelligence courses (specifically the CS one i think, most of my friends are in the ECE and SYDE ones). Otherwise it really is case by case. For example ECE459 has like 220 spots, algos may be less”

u/SometimesICryAtNight: “Yes we have to compete, for MTE544 it was 90% trons though. Uhhh, i havent heard that happening. There are no ECE electives or ECE seniors in fall term so you should be fine.”

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Check it elsewhere for Fall 2026

Calendar versions

Undergraduate Calendar