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PennX: Robotics: Kinematics and Mathematical Foundations

Master the foundational math concepts that drive robotics and put them into practice using MATLAB.

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

About this course

Skip About this course

Welcome to the first course in the Robotics MicroMasters series. This is an advanced course designed for learners who have a bachelor's degree in engineering or a similar field.

Learners will succeed in this course if they have familiarity with basic operations on matrices and vectors, as well as exposure to derivatives and partial derivatives.

The fundamental challenge this course addresses is how one can create robots that operate well in the real world.

At a glance

  • Institution: PennX
  • Subject: Computer Science
  • Level: Advanced
  • Prerequisites:
    • College-level algebra and trigonometry (matrices, vectors)
    • Fundamentals of calculus (derivatives, partial derivatives)
    • Basic knowledge of computer programming (variables, functions, control flow, some knowledge of graphs)
  • Language: English
  • Video Transcript: English
  • Associated skills:Operations, Kinematics, Basic Math, Derivatives

What you'll learn

Skip 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

Syllabus

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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

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.

Ways to take this course

Choose your path when you enroll.

Certificate

Free

Price

$349 USD

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Access to course materials

Unlimited

Limited

World-class institutions and universities

edX support

Shareable certificate upon completion

Graded assignments and exams

Read our FAQsin a new tab about frequently asked questions on these tracks.

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