Artificial Intelligence with hands-on exercises: maze-solver, crawling robot and emotion recognition

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a pivotal technology with diverse applications in fields such as algorithm design, robotic automation, image processing, and machine learning. This paper introduces three accessible examples designed to demystify core AI techniques for educational purposes: navigating mazes with the A* search algorithm, teaching a virtual robot through Q-learning, and recognizing patterns in images using Principal Component Analysis. Accompanied by theoretical discussions, algorithmic breakdowns, and interactive Python simulations, these exercises aim to engage and educate beginners in the basic functionalities and applications of AI