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There are 5 modules in this course
This course will discuss different ways of formally modeling requirements of interest for autonomous systems. Examples of such requirements include stability, invariance, reachability, regular languages, omega-regular languages, and linear temporal logic properties. In addition, it will introduce non-deterministic finite and büchi automata for recognizing, respectively, regular languages and omega-regular languages.
This course can be taken for academic credit as part of CU Boulder’s MS in Computer Science degrees offered on the Coursera platform. These fully accredited graduate degrees offer targeted courses, short 8-week sessions, and pay-as-you-go tuition. Admission is based on performance in three preliminary courses, not academic history. CU degrees on Coursera are ideal for recent graduates or working professionals. Learn more:
MS in Computer Science: https://coursera.org/degrees/ms-computer-science-boulder
In this course, we delve into both low-level and high-level specifications, fundamental to the development of safe autonomous systems. This module is specifically designed to equip students with an in-depth understanding of expressing system behaviors through formal methods, including linear temporal logic and automata on both finite and infinite strings. Through a collection of detailed examples and practical applications, participants will acquire the skills needed to define and analyze key properties of autonomous systems, such as safety and reachability.
What's included
3 videos11 readings
Show info about module content
3 videos•Total 21 minutes
Meet Your Instructor!•1 minute
Outline of Specialization•6 minutes
Introduction to Course 2 – Requirement Specification•14 minutes
11 readings•Total 101 minutes
Course Updates and Accessibility Support•1 minute
Earn Academic Credit for your Work!•10 minutes
Course Support•10 minutes
Assessment Expectations•10 minutes
AI Citation and Acknowledgement•10 minutes
Important Prerequisites•10 minutes
Notice for Degree-Seeking Learners•10 minutes
Logistics: Important information about the Course Assignments and Exam•10 minutes
Logistics: Lecture Slides, Textbook and Readings•10 minutes
Ariane Flight V88•10 minutes
Resources•10 minutes
Low-Level Specifications
Module 2•2 hours to complete
Module details
This module offers a concise introduction to normed vector spaces and stability concepts in autonomous systems, encompassing both asymptotic stability and global asymptotic stability. It emphasizes the application of Lyapunov's Stability Theorem for the formal verification of these properties in complex systems, including its application to various simple systems, such as linear ones. Through illustrative examples, we will demonstrate the significance of these concepts in analyzing and ensuring the stability of systems.
What's included
14 videos1 reading2 assignments
Show info about module content
14 videos•Total 87 minutes
Stability•5 minutes
Stability: Examples•9 minutes
Lyapunov’s stability theorem•3 minutes
Lyapunov’s stability theorem: Examples•7 minutes
Stability of linear systems•5 minutes
Stability of linear systems: Example•6 minutes
Lyapunov functions for linear systems•6 minutes
Lyapunov functions for linear systems: Example•10 minutes
Input-to-state stability (ISS)•6 minutes
ISS for linear systems•8 minutes
Lyapunov theorem for ISS•4 minutes
Lyapunov theorem for ISS: Examples•8 minutes
Stability of series interconnections•4 minutes
Stability of feedback interconnections•5 minutes
1 reading•Total 10 minutes
Overview of Module 2•10 minutes
2 assignments•Total 35 minutes
AI Policy Quiz•5 minutes
Assignment 1: Stability Verification•30 minutes
High-Level Specifications: Reachability, Safety, Regular and ω-Regular Properties
Module 3•2 hours to complete
Module details
Delve into the topic of reachable sets and uncover their critical role in guaranteeing system safety. This module introduces frameworks for exploring computational techniques to over-approximate reachable sets across diverse system classes. You will have the chance to apply your knowledge in real-world contexts, investigate the use of zonotopes, and recognize their beneficial properties in the computation of reachable sets. Moreover, we delve into fundamental concepts of formal languages, and regular and omega-regular expressions, offering succinct and formal methods to express regular and omega-regular languages, respectively.
What's included
7 videos1 reading1 assignment
Show info about module content
7 videos•Total 68 minutes
Computation of reachable sets via zonotopes•13 minutes
Computation of reachable sets for ISS systems•16 minutes
Safety certification•6 minutes
Basic concepts of languages•11 minutes
Regular expressions•11 minutes
ω-regular expressions•9 minutes
ω-regular expressions: Example•2 minutes
1 reading•Total 10 minutes
Overview of Module 3•10 minutes
1 assignment•Total 30 minutes
Assignment 2: ω-Regular Expressions•30 minutes
Nondeterministic Finite and Büchi Automata (NFA and NBA)
Module 4•3 hours to complete
Module details
This module immerses you in the essential principles of regular and ω-regular properties and how they are represented via non-deterministic finite automata (NFA) and Büchi automata (NBA), respectively. You will study the notation and architecture of NFAs and NBAs, master the construction of regular and ω-regular expressions, and grasp their correlation with these automata. The course will navigate you through the conversion of NFAs to regular expressions and NBAs to ω-regular expressions and the inverse, elucidating the significance of these concepts in the verification of finite and infinite behaviors of systems.
What's included
13 videos1 reading2 assignments
Show info about module content
13 videos•Total 121 minutes
Nondeterministic finite automaton (NFA)•6 minutes
Accepted Language of an NFA•6 minutes
Synchronous Product of NFAs•6 minutes
NFA recognizing regular languages•11 minutes
Deterministic Finite Automaton (DFA)•8 minutes
NFA to DFA: Example•4 minutes
Linear-time properties•14 minutes
Nondeterministic Büchi automata (NBA)•9 minutes
NBA for linear time properties•8 minutes
From NBA to ω-regular expressions•11 minutes
From ω-regular expressions to NBA•20 minutes
From ω-regular expressions to NBA: Example•8 minutes
Safety and co-safety linear properties•10 minutes
1 reading•Total 10 minutes
Overview of Module 4•10 minutes
2 assignments•Total 50 minutes
Assignment 3: NFA•30 minutes
Assignment 4: NBA II•20 minutes
Linear Temporal Logic Formulae
Module 5•2 hours to complete
Module details
This module provides an in-depth exploration of Linear Temporal Logic (LTL) formulas, a mathematical formalism for describing languages containing infinite words. It presents a framework for articulating the temporal dimensions of system behaviors, offering a syntax that closely mirrors natural language. By melding propositional logic with temporal operators, LTL furnishes a powerful toolkit for specifying the rich behaviors of systems.
What's included
3 videos1 reading2 assignments
Show info about module content
3 videos•Total 51 minutes
Linear Temporal Logic (Syntax)•14 minutes
Linear Temporal Logic (Semantics)•17 minutes
Equivalence of LTL Formulas•20 minutes
1 reading•Total 10 minutes
Overview of Module 5•10 minutes
2 assignments•Total 70 minutes
Assignment 5: LTL Verification•30 minutes
Assignment 6: LTL Equivalences and from LTL to NBA•40 minutes
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This course is part of the following degree program(s) offered by University of Colorado Boulder. If you are admitted and enroll, your completed coursework may count toward your degree learning and your progress can transfer with you.¹
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Build toward a degree
This course is part of the following degree program(s) offered by University of Colorado Boulder. If you are admitted and enroll, your completed coursework may count toward your degree learning and your progress can transfer with you.¹
¹Successful application and enrollment are required. Eligibility requirements apply. Each institution determines the number of credits recognized by completing this content that may count towards degree requirements, considering any existing credits you may have. Click on a specific course for more information.
CU Boulder is a dynamic community of scholars and learners on one of the most spectacular college campuses in the country. As one of 34 U.S. public institutions in the prestigious Association of American Universities (AAU), we have a proud tradition of academic excellence, with five Nobel laureates and more than 50 members of prestigious academic academies.
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What will I get if I subscribe to this Specialization?
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Is financial aid available?
Yes. In select learning programs, you can apply for financial aid or a scholarship if you can’t afford the enrollment fee. If fin aid or scholarship is available for your learning program selection, you’ll find a link to apply on the description page.