AME 50551 Introduction to Robotics
Instructor: Dr. Steven Skaar

Objectives: The goal of this course is to introduce students to the
theory and practical matters involved in the development of a robotic
system. The theoretical aspects of the course focus on several topics
involved in robotic manipulator design and control. These include:
spatial descriptions of position and orientation, forward and inverse
kinematics, Jacobians and singularities, dynamics, trajectory generation
as well as a limited study of nonlinear control. The practical side of
the course consists of a number of laboratory exercises, currently four,
where groups of students build a robotic manipulator using LEGO's and
develop a controller for it. These exercises are intended to give
students an appreciation for the integration of mechanical, electrical
and computer systems required to produce a functioning robotic system.

Requirements: AME 30314 Differential Equations, Vibrations, and Controls I
or consent of instructor. There is extensive use of vectors and
matrices. An extensive amount of computer programming is required
including Matlab, 'C', Interactive C and Autolev. Interactive C is the
language used to program the robot controller. Autolev is a symbolic
manipulator, similar to Mathematica and Matlab, especially built for
analyzing and simulating the dynamics of robotic systems. There is also
an attendance policy allowing only three unexcused absences. The four
projects must also be completed.