Leveraging Laptops: Resources for Low-Cost Low-Level AI

The ubiquity and capability of off-the-shelf laptop computers offer AI educators remarkable opportunities to reach broadly across the subfields of AI. By leveraging student laptops, instructors can make so-called low-level subfields of artificial intelligence - for example, computer vision and robotics - almost as accessible as investigations into higher-level topics that might rely less on sensors and actuators. At Harvey Mudd College the author has developed two "Lines" of laptop-controlled robots. The first, based on iRobot's vacuums, provides an inexpensive and autonomous platform suitable for indoor, human-scale environments. The second, built atop PowerWheels toys, offers a capable, low-cost base for large, outdoor navigation and planning tasks.