This is the craziest class I have taken in my five semesters at UVA. It genuinely feels like a whole Capstone project, as the whole point of the course is to program a robot to move autonomously within a lab setting. Professor Furukawa doesn't hold your hand, and you and your team will simply have to try many ideas to do well in this course. Take this class with a friend or two if possible, as you get to choose teams of 3-4 at the beginning of the semester. Unfortunately, my team wasn't great, so I spent more time than I should've had to for this class. Also, the VICTOR lab is far from grounds, as its behind New Dorms up on Observatory Hill, so if you do take this class, I recommend either living close by or having a car to get to the lab. Honestly, the class is a big commitment, so I really don't recommend it unless you are both really interested in robotics and have a vehicle to get to the lab.
MAE 4270
Experimental RoboticsLast taught: Fall 2026
2.7 Rating
5.0 Difficulty
3.77 GPA
Instructor
3.0
Enjoyability
3.0
Difficulty
5.0
Recommend
2.0
Reading
0.0
Writing
2.0
Group Work
10.0
Other
0.0
Total Hours / Week
Hours 12.0
Grade Distribution
Average GPA 3.77
Students Measured 24
Sections
11 Review
2.67 Average
Instructor 3.0
Enjoyability 3.0
Recommend 2.0
Difficulty 5.0
Hours/Week 12.0