Introducing Robotics

Queensland University of Technology via FutureLearn Program

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Details

Go to class

Provider

FutureLearn Program
Pricing

Paid Course
Languages

English
Certificate

Certificate Available
Duration & workload

11 weeks, 3 hours a week

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Overview

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As robots gain more and more capabilities, they will play an increasingly prominent part in our everyday lives. Robotics is an area of technology seeing unprecedented growth.

The Introducing Robotics program from Queensland University of Technology (QUT) is made up of three online courses that build from theory to practice.

You’ll begin by exploring how we’re using robots to help solve big challenges in our society today, before considering what the future might hold for humans and robots alike.

You’ll become familiar with the mathematical knowledge and programming skills required to make robots move, and you’ll try out your skills in practical exercises.

Finally - you’ll put your skills into practice by building your own robot. You’ll design, build and program a simple robot arm, and you’ll be invited to share a video of your robot with learners around the world.

Accessible for free on desktop, tablet or mobile and delivered in bite-sized chunks, the courses provide a flexible way to develop your understanding of robotics.

When you complete all three courses and earn a Certificate of Achievement for each, you will receive a FutureLearn Award as proof of completing the program of study.

Syllabus

Courses under this program:
Course 1: Introducing Robotics: Robotics and Society
-How do you feel about robots? Learn how robots are used today and explore how they might help solve the big issues of our time.

Course 2: Introducing Robotics: Making Robots Move
-The world needs people who understand how to get robots moving.

Course 3: Introducing Robotics: Build a Robot Arm
-Design, build and program a simple robot and share it with other learners.

Courses

1 review
3 weeks, 3 hours a week, 3 hours a week
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Explore how robots are used in mechanisation, exploration, and building

Robots were once only found in fiction, but today they have become an important technology used widely in society. They mechanise industrial tasks, help us explore places humans can’t go, and can even help heal us.

On this three-week course, you’ll examine your perceptions of robotics, and how attitudes previously formed from fiction are significantly different to how robots are used today.

You’ll delve into the true role of robots in our society and be able to define a real robot, and what they can do. You’ll also investigate the importance of robotics as a field to understand their capabilities and the opportunities for the future.

Identify the ethical considerations of using different types of robots

You’ll discover the different types of robots and how they are applied to help us in a variety of ways, including exploring and monitoring our world.

You’ll also examine the ethical, privacy, and safety considerations of using robotics, particularly when we look at solving societal challenges. Just because we can use robots, does that mean we should?

Examine the role of robots in the future as a useful technology

On the course, you’ll be encouraged to join discussions on using robotics in the future.

You’ll learn how robots could be used to overcome challenges such as food production, ageing population, transport, and environmental change, and discuss the effects this could have on our society.

You’ll predict and reflect on the future role of the development of robotics, and gain a deeper understanding of how robots and humans interact.

This course is designed for anyone interested in discovering how our society currently uses robots, and how we might use them to solve big challenges in the future.

You don’t need any robotics knowledge or experience to join this course.

Everything you need to succeed in this course is provided. There is no specific equipment or software required.
1 review
3 weeks, 3 hours a week, 3 hours a week
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Discover how robots can be programmed to move

This three-week course delves into the growing world of the robotics industry, and what it takes to make robots move.

You’ll begin by exploring the capabilities of robots and learning the mathematics behind robotic movement.

With this knowledge, you’ll consider objects in a two-dimensional plane, exploring the concepts of position, pose, rotation, and translation, as you unpack the process of how robots work and move.

Understand the principles of kinematics including forward and inverse kinematics

Robot movement relies on the principles of kinematics – the motion of a body or bodies.

You’ll develop your programming skills as you learn how to program forward kinematics equations in practical MATLAB assignments.

You’ll also learn approaches to inverse kinematics and dive into principles of join control theory to increase your theoretical and practical knowledge of robotic movement.

Move on to advanced techniques in 3D robotics

Guided by the experts at the Queensland University of Technology, you’ll get a taste of 3D robotics to understand the complexity of types of motion in 3D.

By the end of the course, you’ll feel comfortable in being able to explain the capabilities of robots, with an understanding of the mathematics and programming behind making a robot move.

This course is designed for those with some knowledge of advanced high-school mathematics or engineering – in particular, analytic geometry and linear algebra.

You should also know how to program in MATLAB to complete the practical exercises.

Everything you need to succeed in this course is provided, or can be downloaded for free. If you’d like to attempt the exercises throughout this course, you will be using a program called MATLAB. With support from MathWorks, free access to MATLAB will be provided for the duration of the course plus 30 days.

All exercises are embedded in the course, so you don’t need to have MATLAB to participate.

However, if you’d like to follow along with Professor Corke’s MATLAB demonstrations, work on the exercises, or explore topics on your own, MathWorks has provided a licence for MATLAB Online for this course. We will guide you through the setup of MATLAB and the Robotics Toolbox at the beginning of the course. The use of MATLAB is what will really give you a powerful learning experience, letting you try out the exercises and examples provided.

If you have not used MATLAB before, and would like to take a two-hour introductory course, please check out the MATLAB Academy’s MATLAB Onramp course. This covers the MATLAB basics with walk-through activities. This is an optional activity.
1 review
3 weeks, 3 hours a week, 3 hours a week
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Join the fascinating world of robotics and learn how to build a robot

The best way to learn is to put your knowledge into practice. On this five-week practical course, you’ll have the opportunity to build your very own robot.

From sourcing the equipment to programming your robot to move, you’ll be guided through each stage of the process.

Robotics is all about integrating hardware and software. You’ll learn how you can build a simple physical robot, and create the software to allow it to perform the useful task of carrying a pen and drawing a coordinated line on a sheet of paper.

Bring your skills of mechanical design and software development together

The project will help you put your knowledge of robotics and mathematics to use, and also bring together a number of skills including programming, mechanical design, and software development.

You’ll learn how to ensure the software implements kinematic algorithms as well as communicating with sensors and motors to get your robot moving.

You’ll also discover how to generate a trajectory of points for the robot to move on the worksheet, and how to test and adjust the software to improve your robot’s performance.

Build your programming skills with QUT

At the end of the course, you’ll be invited to submit a video of your completed robot for peer review. Enjoy sharing your robot design and the way your robot works with other learners all around the world.

Though you may find aspects of this course challenging, it’s a rewarding way to put your knowledge into practice and enter the world of robotics.

This course is designed for those who have completed the other courses in the Introducing Robotics ExpertTrack.

If you can’t buy the equipment, you will still find the course useful as you learn the build principles.

In this course, we demonstrate the build principles using the LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT kit. While this kit is no longer produced, you can complete the project using a variety of technologies.

How you build your robot depends on what resources you have access to. You might choose to purchase a robotics development kit or borrow hobby robot components. You’ll need a 64-bit computer to install the MATLAB software and a software toolbox to control your robot. With support from MathWorks, free access to MATLAB will be provided for the duration of the course plus 30 days.

The software you need to program your robot depends on the hardware you choose to use. For example, you might choose a LEGO MINDSTORMS EV3 kit, together with the MATLAB LEGO MINDSTORMS EV3 Support Package. If you are more experienced, you might choose to use an Arduino or Raspberry Pi, together with their relevant MATLAB Support Packages. We encourage you to discuss your build options with your peers and the teaching team before sourcing them.