Introducing Robotics: Build a Robot Arm (FutureLearn)

There are lots of ways you could actually build such a robot and that will depend on your skill level, your budget, or what equipment you can source.

You may find the project challenging. You’ll need to bring together a number of skills, such as mechanical design and software development. The software needs to implement kinematic algorithms as well as communicate with sensors and motors. You will need to generate a trajectory of points for the robot to move on the worksheet and test and adjust the software to improve your robot’s performance. At the end of the course, you’ll be invited to submit a video of your completed robot for peer review.

What topics will you cover?

- Build your robot arm:

Sourcing the equipment

Connecting to the brick

Moving the motors

Braking modes

-Configuration and design:

Joint types

Key design decisions

Connecting structure and gears

-Move and test your robot arm:

Robot design tips

Developing kinematics equations in MATLAB

Moving your robot to a point

Joint movement

Improving movement performance

- Assess your robot (optional):

Filming your robot arm

Submitting your video for peer assessment

Assessing other learners’ videos

What will you achieve?

By the end of the course, you'll be able to...

- Apply mathematical, algorithmic and control principles of robot arm manipulators

- Produce a working robot through physical construction and software development