Course Overview
The Introduction to Robotics Specialization introduces you to the concepts of robot and
movement, how robots perceive their environment, and how they adjust their movements to avoid
obstacles, navigate difficult terrains and accomplish complex tasks such as construction and
disaster recovery. You will be exposed to real world examples of how robots have been applied in
disaster situations, how they have made advances in human health care and what their future
capabilities will be. The courses build towards a capstone in which you will learn how to program a
robot to perform a variety of movements such as flying and grasping objects
Course Objectives
Learn in-demand skills from university and industry experts
Master a subject or tool with hands-on projects
Develop a deep understanding of key concepts
Earn a career certificate from REFFTO
Courses
1._Foundations of Robot Motion and introduction to modern robotics
Overview of robotics history and applications
Types of robots (industrial, mobile, humanoid, etc.)
Key components of a robot (sensors, actuators, control systems)
Basic programming concepts
Chapters:-
1. Introduction to modern robotics
2. Configuration space:-Configuration space topology and representation; configuration and
velocity constraints; task space and workspace.
3. Rigid Body Motions:-Homogeneous transformation matrices, twists, screws, exponential
coordinates of rigid-body motion, and wrenches.
2. Electronics and Programming
Basic electronics and circuits
Microcontroller programming (e.g., Arduino, Raspberry Pi)
Introduction to programming languages (e.g., Python, C++)
Controlling motors and sensors
Chapters:-
1.
3. Robot Kinematics
Robot design principles
Mechanical components (joints, links, end effectors)
Kinematics (forward and inverse)
3D modeling and simulation (using software like SolidWorks, Blender)
Chapters:-
1. Forward Kinematics:-Product of exponentials formula for forward kinematics in the space
frame and the end-effector frame.
2. Velocity kinematics and Statics:-Velocity kinematics using the space Jacobian and body
Jacobian, statics of open chains, singularities, and manipulability.
3. Inverse Kinematics:- Analytical and numerical inverse kinematics.
4. Kinematics of Closed Chains:- Forward kinematics, inverse kinematics, velocity kinematics, and
statics of closed chains
4. Sensors and Perception
Types of sensors (IR, ultrasonic, cameras, LiDAR, etc.)
Data acquisition and sensor fusion
Computer vision basics
Sensor calibration and filtering
5. Actuators and Control Systems
Types of actuators (motors, servos, pneumatics)
PID control
Motion planning and trajectory generation
Feedback systems
6. Robotics Programming and Software
Robot Operating System (ROS)
Robot simulation (Gazebo)
Developing robot control software
Integration with sensors and actuators
7. Robot Localization and Mapping
SLAM (Simultaneous Localization and Mapping)
Localization techniques (e.g., Kalman filters)
Mapping algorithms (e.g., occupancy grids)
Navigation and path planning
8. Robot Vision
Image processing and feature detection
Object recognition and tracking
Deep learning for computer vision
Visual SLAM
9. Human-Robot Interaction
Human-robot collaboration and safety
Gesture recognition
Natural language processing for robots
Designing user interfaces
10. Autonomous Robotics and AI
Reinforcement learning for robots
Planning under uncertainty
Cognitive architectures
Ethics and AI safety
11. Capstone Project
Apply knowledge and skills to develop a robotics project
Real-world application or research project
Presentation and documentation
12. Advanced Topics (Optional)
Swarm robotics
Bio-inspired robotics
Soft robotics
Quantum robotics
