Students at Stanford University are combining artificial intelligence and engineering in a course called CS 123, where they build and upgrade a quadruped robot named Pupper. The course is designed to introduce students to robotics by having them work on motor control, machine learning, and programming tasks.
Karen Liu, professor of computer science at Stanford’s School of Engineering, leads the course along with Jie Tan from Google DeepMind and Stuart Bowers from Apple and Hands-On Robotics. Liu explained the educational approach: “We believe that the best way to help and inspire students to become robotics experts is to have them build a robot from scratch.”
The course originated from an independent study project led by Stanford’s robotics club. It has evolved into a 10-week program where students learn about movement, motor control, and advanced AI topics. The aim is for students to develop cutting-edge AI algorithms using Pupper as their platform.
Stuart Bowers shared his perspective on the importance of early exposure: “We wanted students who were still early enough in their education to explore and experience what we felt like the future of AI robotics was going to be.”
The current version of Pupper is described as more powerful than its predecessors. Ankush Kundan Dhawan, a former student turned teaching assistant for the course, commented on the progress made: “What really stuck with me was the passion that instructors had to help students get hands-on with real robots.”
Throughout the course, students engage in both lectures and labs focused on practical skills such as electrical work, hardware construction, coding, and machine learning. By applying neural networks for tasks like navigation or responding to commands, they gain insights into state-of-the-art robotics.
Bowers emphasized hands-on learning: “We want them to actually train a neural network and control it.”
By the end of the quarter this spring, six teams showcased their projects during an event called “Dog and Pony Show,” attended by guests from NVIDIA and Google. Karen Liu noted that this comprehensive training allows students to combine essential foundations like locomotion and computer vision.
Jie Tan expressed optimism about student engagement: “The hope is that many CS 123 students will be inspired to become future innovators and leaders in this exciting field.” Bowers added that expanding access remains a priority: “And that effort starts here at Stanford.”
Liu also holds affiliations with various research institutes at Stanford University.
