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PennX: Robotics: Dynamics and Control

Learn how to design and engineer complex, dynamic robotic systems.

Robotics: Dynamics and Control
12 weeks
8–10 hours per week
Self-paced
Progress at your own speed
This course is archived
Future dates to be announced

About this course

Skip About this course

Flying drones or robot manipulators accomplish heavy-duty tasks that deal with considerable forces and torques not covered by a purely robot kinematics framework. Learn how to formulate dynamics problems and design appropriate control laws.

In this course, part of the Robotics MicroMasters program, you will learn how to develop dynamic models of robot manipulators, mobile robots, and drones (quadrotors), and how to design intelligent controls for robotic systems that can grasp and manipulate objects.

We will cover robot dynamics, trajectory generation, motion planning, and nonlinear control, and develop real-time planning and control software modules for robotic systems. This course will give you the basic theoretical tools and enable you to design control algorithms.

Using MATLAB, you will apply what you have learned through a series of projects involving real-world robotic systems.

At a glance

  • Institution: PennX
  • Subject: Computer Science
  • Level: Advanced
  • Prerequisites:

    Good working knowledge of the following undergraduate subjects is required:

    • Linear algebra
    • Rigid body dynamics
    • Multivariable calculus
    • Ordinary differential equations

    The knowledge of basic computer science data structures such as graphs, link lists, etc. is preferred, but students may also choose to learn these skills on their own. The class projects will also require knowledge of MATLAB and programming in C or C++.

  • Language: English
  • Video Transcript: English
  • Associated skills:Kinematics, Motion Planning, Planning, Trajectory, Software Modules, Robotic Systems, MATLAB

What you'll learn

Skip What you'll learn
  • The dynamics of robot arms, mobile robots and quadrotors
  • Position and force control for robots
  • How to generate complex trajectories
  • The basics of configuration spaces for robotic systems
  • Controller synthesis and stability

Week 1: Introduction and Course Overview
Week 2: Rigid Body Dynamics
Week 3: Dynamics of Robot Arms
Week 4: Project #1: Modeling of a Robot Arm
Week 5: Introduction to Linear Control
Week 6: State Space Modeling and Multivariable Systems
Week 7: Nonlinear Control
Week 8: Stability Theory
Week 9: Project #2: Control and Trajectory Following for a Mobile Robot
Week 10: Quadrotor Control
Week 11: Trajectory Generation
Week 12: Project #3: Planning and Control of a Quadrotor

Who can take this course?

Unfortunately, learners residing in one or more of the following countries or regions will not be able to register for this course: Iran, Cuba and the Crimea region of Ukraine. While edX has sought licenses from the U.S. Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) to offer our courses to learners in these countries and regions, the licenses we have received are not broad enough to allow us to offer this course in all locations. edX truly regrets that U.S. sanctions prevent us from offering all of our courses to everyone, no matter where they live.

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