EdX

Robotics: Fundamentals (edX)

Robotics: Fundamentals (edX)

Master the foundational math concepts that drive robotics and put them into practice using MATLAB. How do you create robots that operate well in the real world? Learn the key math concepts and tools used to design robots that excel in navigating our complex, unstructured world in environments such as aerospace, automotive, manufacturing and healthcare.

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

In this course, part of the Robotics MicroMasters program, you will learn how to apply concepts from linear algebra, geometry and group theory and the tools to configure and control the motion of manipulators and mobile robots.
You will also learn how to use MATLAB, the standard robotics programming environment and learn step by step how to use this mathematical tool to write functions, calculate vectors and produce visualizations. You will get hands on experience applying your knowledge to projects using various simulations in MATLAB.

What you'll learn

  • How to describe, analyze and think critically about fundamental problems in robotics, such as how to change the position or configuration of a robot
  • The role of mathematics in describing robotic arms, mobile robots and other robotic platforms
  • How to use the industry standard programming environment, MATLAB

Course Syllabus

Math Fundamentals
Week 1: Vector spaces, inner products, vector norms, orthogonality
Week 2: Linear transformations, matrix multiplication, matrix groups
Week 3: Coordinate transformations, rigid transformations, rotation matrices quaternions, Matrix groups SE(2) and SE(3)
Week 4: Project

Robot Kinematics
Week 5: Kinematic chains, forward kinematics,
Week 6: Inverse kinematics
Week 7: Parallel mechanisms
Week 8: Project

Kinematic Path Planning
Week 9: Graph based methods, Dijkstra’s method, A*Star
Week 10: RRT, configuration space,
Week 11: Artificial potential fields
Week 12: Project

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

Related Courses

Engineering the Space Shuttle (edX) EdX
MIT,MITx

Engineering the Space Shuttle (edX)

Learn all about the world’s first reusable spacecraft - the Space Shuttle - from the very people who designed, built, and operated it for 30 years. This course examines how the Space Shuttle was designed and how its design was influenced by economics and politics. The course goes into detail on many of the Shuttle’s subsystems (e.g. rocket engines, thermal protection, aerodynamics, environmental control and life support, communications, etc.) and explains how the Shuttle was operated (launch, mission control, payloads, etc.). The course also uses the Space Shuttle to present the fundamentals of Systems Engineering.

Feb 16th 2022
5-12 Weeks
Railway Engineering: An Integral Approach (edX) EdX
Delft University of Technology,DelftX

Railway Engineering: An Integral Approach (edX)

Discover the science and complexity behind the exciting world of metro, tram and railway systems. Have you ever wondered what it takes to get your train on the right platform at the scheduled time every day? Understanding the complexity behind today’s sophisticated railway systems will give you a better insight into how this safe and reliable transportation system works. We will show you the many factors which are involved and how multiple people, behind the scenes, have a daily task that enables you to get from home to work. Journey with us into the world of rail - a complex system that connects people, cities and countries.

Apr 10th 2024
5-12 Weeks
Autonomous Mobile Robots (edX) EdX
ETH Zurich,ETHx

Autonomous Mobile Robots (edX)

Basic concepts and algorithms for locomotion, perception, and intelligent navigation. Robots are rapidly evolving from factory workhorses, which are physically bound to their work-cells, to increasingly complex machines capable of performing challenging tasks in our daily environment. The objective of this course is to provide the basic concepts and algorithms required to develop mobile robots that act autonomously in complex environments.

Self Paced
Self-Paced
A System View of Communications: From Signals to Packets (Part 1) (edX) EdX
The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology - HKUST,HKUSTx

A System View of Communications: From Signals to Packets (Part 1) (edX)

Explore the tradeoffs in designing communication systems like mobile phones, and the engineering tools to handle them. Have you ever wondered how information is transmitted using your mobile phone or a WiFi hotspot? This introductory course seeks to enable you to understand the basic engineering tools used and tradeoffs encountered in the design of these systems.

Self Paced
Self-Paced
Introduction to Water and Climate (edX) EdX
Delft University of Technology,DelftX

Introduction to Water and Climate (edX)

Water is a crucial element in climate and for society. Find out about the latest engineering interventions for water management in rivers, coasts and the urban environment. Water is essential for life on Earth and of crucial importance for society. Water also plays a major role in affecting climate. Its natural cycle, from ocean to atmosphere by evaporation, then by precipitation back to land returning via rivers and aquifers to the oceans, has a decisive impact on regional and global climate patterns.

Self Paced
Self-Paced
Differential Equations: Linear Algebra and NxN Systems of Differential Equations (edX) EdX
MIT,MITx

Differential Equations: Linear Algebra and NxN Systems of Differential Equations (edX)

Learn how to use linear algebra and MATLAB to solve large systems of differential equations. Differential equations are the mathematical language we use to describe the world around us. Most phenomena can be modeled not by single differential equations, but by systems of interacting differential equations. These systems may consist of many equations. In this course, we will learn how to use linear algebra to solve systems of more than 2 differential equations. We will also learn to use MATLAB to assist us.

Jan 11th 2023
5-12 Weeks
Hypersonics - from Shock Waves to Scramjets (edX) EdX
University of Queensland,UQx

Hypersonics - from Shock Waves to Scramjets (edX)

Understand flight at speeds greater than Mach 5 and discover how to analyse the performance of a scramjet. A flow is called hypersonic if the Mach number is greater than 5. This means that the flow speed is more than five times the speed of sound. In air at room temperature, the speed of sound is around 340 m/s, so a Mach 5 flow would have a flow speed of 1.7 km/s or just over 6,000 km/h. When a rocket launches a satellite into earth orbit, when a probe enters the atmosphere of another planet or when an aircraft is propelled by a supersonic combustion ramjet engine (a scramjet), hypersonic flows are encountered.

Self Paced
Self-Paced
Management in Engineering: Strategy and Leadership (edX) EdX
MIT,MITx

Management in Engineering: Strategy and Leadership (edX)

Analyze challenging real-life business cases that engineering managers face on a variety of topics. Apply management tools and relevant skills to manage innovation. This course was formerly known as Management in Engineering II. As part of the Principles of Manufacturing MicroMasters program, this course aims to provide exposure to key principles and practices used in engineering management.

Jan 9th 2024
5-12 Weeks