Modern Robotics, Course 1: Foundations of Robot Motion (Coursera)

Modern Robotics, Course 1: Foundations of Robot Motion (Coursera)

Do you want to know how robots work? Are you interested in robotics as a career? Are you willing to invest the effort to learn fundamental mathematical modeling techniques that are used in all subfields of robotics? If so, then the "Modern Robotics: Mechanics, Planning, and Control" specialization may be for you. This specialization, consisting of six short courses, is serious preparation for serious students who hope to work in the field of robotics or to undertake advanced study. It is not a sampler.

Class Deals by MOOC List - Click here and see Coursera's Active Discounts, Deals, and Promo Codes.

In Course 1 of the specialization, Foundations of Robot Motion, you will learn fundamental material regarding robot configurations, for both serial robot mechanisms and robots with closed chains. You will learn about configuration space (C-space), degrees of freedom, C-space topology, implicit and explicit representations of configurations, and holonomic and nonholonomic constraints. You will also learn how to represent spatial velocities and forces as twists and wrenches. This material is at the core of the study of anything that moves (e.g., robots).
Course 1 of 6 in the Modern Robotics: Mechanics, Planning, and Control Specialization.

Syllabus

WEEK 1
Introduction to Modern Robotics
Introduction to the specialization, the Modern Robotics code library, the CoppeliaSim robot simulator, and the lightboard video-generation tool.
Chapter 2: Configuration Space (Part 1 of 2)
Configuration space and degrees of freedom of rigid bodies and robots.

WEEK 2
Chapter 2: Configuration Space (Part 2 of 2)
Configuration space topology and representation; configuration and velocity constraints; task space and workspace.

WEEK 3
Chapter 3: Rigid-Body Motions (Part 1 of 2)
Rigid-body motions, rotation matrices, angular velocities, and exponential coordinates of rotation.

WEEK 4
Chapter 3: Rigid-Body Motions (Part 2 of 2)
Homogeneous transformation matrices, twists, screws, exponential coordinates of rigid-body motion, and wrenches.

Go to Class
MOOC List is learner-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.

Related Courses

3D CAD Fundamental (Coursera) Coursera
National Taiwan University

3D CAD Fundamental (Coursera)

There have many three-dimensional shape of the object in your brain that are wanted to share, but do not know how to express? How to "sketch" the three-dimensional image in your mind? 3D modeling technology can help us construct the most intuitive and understandable three-dimensional model. The use of floor plan interpret the three-dimensional object process-the most direct and effective expression of our ideas.

Sep 7th 2026
5-12 Weeks
Tinkering Fundamentals: Motion and Mechanisms (Coursera) Coursera
Exploratorium

Tinkering Fundamentals: Motion and Mechanisms (Coursera)

The Tinkering Fundamentals course will offer educators and enthusiasts an opportunity to develop a practice of tinkering and making. We see tinkering as a serious endeavor—one that is generalizable across content and especially good at interweaving disciplines in a way that leads to complex projects and individualized learning opportunities.

Sep 14th 2026
5-12 Weeks
Factory Automation: Shaping the Future of Manufacturing (Coursera) Coursera
Starweaver

Factory Automation: Shaping the Future of Manufacturing (Coursera)

This course provides a comprehensive understanding of factory automation, covering foundational concepts to practical applications. Participants explore the evolution of automation technology, including robotics and control systems, witnessing its role in optimizing production processes and enhancing productivity. Through real-world case studies, they learn how automation improves efficiency, safety, and innovation in manufacturing.

Sep 14th 2026
4 Weeks
Engineering Systems in Motion: Dynamics of Particles and Bodies in 2D Motion (Coursera) Coursera
Georgia Institute of Technology

Engineering Systems in Motion: Dynamics of Particles and Bodies in 2D Motion (Coursera)

This course is an introduction to the study of bodies in motion as applied to engineering systems and structures. We will study the dynamics of particle motion and bodies in rigid planar (2D) motion. This will consist of both the kinematics and kinetics of motion. Kinematics deals with the geometrical aspects of motion describing position, velocity, and acceleration, all as a function of time. Kinetics is the study of forces acting on these bodies and how it affects their motion.

Sep 7th 2026
5-12 Weeks
Mastering Statics (Coursera) Coursera
The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology - HKUST

Mastering Statics (Coursera)

Statics is the most fundamental course in Mechanics. In this course, you will learn the conditions under which an object or a structure subjected to time-invariant (static) forces is in equilibrium - i.e. the conditions under which it remains stationary or moves with a constant velocity-. You will also learn how to calculate the reaction forces as well as the internal forces experienced throughout the structure so that later you can properly design and size the foundation and the members of the structure to assure the structure’s safety and serviceability.

Sep 7th 2026
5-12 Weeks
Robotic Mapping and Trajectory Generation (Coursera) Coursera
University of Colorado Boulder

Robotic Mapping and Trajectory Generation (Coursera)

In this second course of the Introduction to Robotics specialization, "Robotic Mapping and Trajectory Generation", you will learn how to perform basic inverse kinematics of (non-)holonomic systems using a feedback control approach. You will also learn how to process multi-dimensional sensor signals such as laser range scanners for mapping. Additionally, you will apply the overarching focus of mechanisms and sensors as sources of uncertainty and gain techniques to how to model and control them.

Sep 7th 2026
5-12 Weeks
Mechanics: Motion, Forces, Energy and Gravity, from Particles to Planets (Coursera) Coursera
UNSW Sydney - University of New South Wales

Mechanics: Motion, Forces, Energy and Gravity, from Particles to Planets (Coursera)

Most of the phenomena in the world around you are, at the fundamental level, based on physics, and much of physics is based on mechanics. Mechanics begins by quantifying motion, and then explaining it in terms of forces, energy and momentum. This allows us to analyse the operation of many familiar phenomena around us, but also the mechanics of planets, stars and galaxies.

Sep 14th 2026
5-12 Weeks
Material Processing (Coursera) Coursera
Georgia Institute of Technology

Material Processing (Coursera)

Have you ever wondered why ceramics are hard and brittle while metals tend to be ductile? Why some materials conduct heat or electricity while others are insulators? Why adding just a small amount of carbon to iron results in an alloy that is so much stronger than the base metal? In this course, you will learn how a material’s properties are determined by the microstructure of the material, which is in turn determined by composition and the processing that the material has undergone.

Sep 14th 2026
2 Weeks
Advanced Manufacturing Enterprise (Coursera) Coursera
University at Buffalo,The State University of New York

Advanced Manufacturing Enterprise (Coursera)

Enterprises that seek to become proficient in advanced manufacturing must incorporate manufacturing management tools and integrate data throughout the supply chain to be successful. This course will make students aware of what a digitally connected enterprise is, as they learn about the operational complexity of enterprises, business process optimization and the concept of an integrated product-process-value chain.

Sep 7th 2026
4 Weeks