Adaptive Systems (825G5)

15 credits, Level 7 (Masters)

Spring teaching

The module Adaptive Systems aims to provide you with an understanding of various adaptive processes occurring in both the animal and physical worlds and to equip them with theoretical and practical tools to study and develop such adaptive mechanisms. It makes use of lectures and seminars to introduce key concepts in:

  • cybernetics
  • control theory
  • self-organisation
  • autonomous robotics
  • evolutionary and developmental robotics
  • dynamical systems approaches to embodied cognition.

It provides you with an opportunity to gain implementation-level familiarity with a variety of adaptive algorithms and techniques and how to apply them in problem solving and biological modelling. You will also gain sufficient experience of using such techniques in a programming project containing structural elements of a research project (hypotheses, extension of previous work, or novel applications).

Teaching

50%: Lecture
27%: Practical (Laboratory)
23%: Seminar

Assessment

100%: Coursework (Report)

Contact hours and workload

This module is approximately 150 hours of work. This breaks down into about 40 hours of contact time and about 110 hours of independent study. The University may make minor variations to the contact hours for operational reasons, including timetabling requirements.

We regularly review our modules to incorporate student feedback, staff expertise, as well as the latest research and teaching methodology. We’re planning to run these modules in the academic year 2023/24. However, there may be changes to these modules in response to feedback, staff availability, student demand or updates to our curriculum. We’ll make sure to let you know of any material changes to modules at the earliest opportunity.