Note: This unit is an archived version! See Overview tab for delivered versions.
MTRX4700: Experimental Robotics (2013 - Semester 1)
| Unit: | MTRX4700: Experimental Robotics (6 CP) |
| Mode: | Normal-Day |
| On Offer: | Yes |
| Level: | Senior Advanced |
| Faculty/School: | School of Aerospace, Mechanical & Mechatronic Engineering |
| Unit Coordinator/s: |
Dr Brooker, Graham
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| Session options: | Semester 1 |
| Versions for this Unit: | |
| Site(s) for this Unit: |
http://www.aeromech.usyd.edu.au/MTRX4700/ |
| Campus: | Camperdown/Darlington |
| Pre-Requisites: | AMME3500 AND MTRX3700. |
| Brief Handbook Description: | This unit aims to present a broad overview of the technologies associated with industrial and mobile robots. Major topics covered are sensing, mapping, navigation and control of mobile robots and kinematics and control of industrial robots. The subject consists of a series of lectures on robot fundamentals and case studies on practical robot systems. Material covered in lectures is illustrated through experimental laboratory assignments. The objective of the course is to provide students with the essential skills necessary to be able to develop robotic systems for practical applications. At the end of this unit students will: be familiar with sensor technologies relevant to robotic systems; understand conventions used in robot kinematics and dynamics; understand the dynamics of mobile robotic systems and how they are modeled; have implemented navigation, sensing and control algorithms on a practical robotic system; apply a systematic approach to the design process for robotic systems; understand the practical application of robotic systems in applications such as manufacturing, automobile systems and assembly systems; develop the capacity to think creatively and independently about new design problems; undertake independent research and analysis and to think creatively about engineering problems. Course content will include: history and philosophy of robotics; hardware components and subsystems; robot kinematics and dynamics; sensors, measurements and perception; robotic architectures, multiple robot systems; localization, navigation and obstacle avoidance, robot planning; robot learning; robot vision and vision processing. |
| Assumed Knowledge: | None. |
| Lecturer/s: |
Dr Fitch, Robert
Prof Williams, Stefan |
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| Timetable: | MTRX4700 Timetable | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Time Commitment: |
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| T&L Activities: | Laboratory: Material covered in lectures is illustrated through experimental laboratory assignments. By applying the techniques they have learned, students will be given the opportunity to contextualize their learning. Application of the concepts will encourage a deeper approach to their learning. Labs will be conducted once a week in the Mechatronics Lab. |
Attributes listed here represent the key course goals (see Course Map tab) designated for this unit. The list below describes how these attributes are developed through practice in the unit. See Learning Outcomes and Assessment tabs for details of how these attributes are assessed.
| Attribute Development Method | Attribute Developed |
| Design and conduct experiments and to analyse and interpret data from those experiments. | Design (Level 3) |
| Students will gain an overview of the technologies associated with industrial and mobile robots. | Engineering/IT Specialisation (Level 4) |
| Collate a variety of information sources within the engineering discipline including technical books and reports, research articles and requirements documents. | Information Seeking (Level 3) |
| Effective communication techniques that emphasize clear and concise presentation of ideas, concepts and solutions to both technical and non-technical audiences. | Communication (Level 4) |
| Develop a commitment to, and fundamental appreciation of, the concept of successful teamwork. | Project and Team Skills (Level 3) |
For explanation of attributes and levels see Engineering & IT Graduate Outcomes Table.
Learning outcomes are the key abilities and knowledge that will be assessed in this unit. They are listed according to the course goal supported by each. See Assessment Tab for details how each outcome is assessed.
Design (Level 3)
1. Develop the capacity to think creatively and independently about new design problems.
2. Apply a systematic approach to the design process for robotic systems. Students will gain an understanding of the components that make up a robotic system and will have the opportunity to exercise these skills on a major project of their choosing.
Engineering/IT Specialisation (Level 4)
3. Be familiar with sensor technologies relevant to robotic systems. Specifically work with laser and vision data and examine techniques for processing this data. Techniques for identifying features, such as lines within laser data and corners in visual data, will be examined
4. Understand conventions used in robot kinematics and dynamics. In particular, methods for assigning frames of reference to robotic systems and techniques for transforming between frames will be described. Students will apply these methods to the study of manipulator and mobile robotic systems.
5. Have implemented navigation, sensing and control algorithms on a practical robotic system. Examine methods for fusing multiple data sources to improve a navigation solution. Using the navigation solution, students will also examine mapping techniques used in mobile robotic systems.
Information Seeking (Level 3)
6. Undertake independent research and analysis and to think creatively about engineering problems.
Communication (Level 4)
7. Examine advanced topics in robotics including obstacle avoidance, path planning, robot architectures, multi-robot systems and learning as applied to robotic systems. Students will have the opportunity to examine these topics in more detail as part of their major project.
8. Ability to express ideas both orally and written on technical material. Students will present the outcomes of their major project to their peers and staff through a presentation and demonstration. A report outlining the relevant background, design and outcomes will also be prepared.
Professional Conduct (Level 3)
9. Students will also be required to function effectively as an individual even within the context of teamwork, and to understand the importance of the role of an individual within group situations.
| Assessment Methods: |
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| Assessment Description: |
Lab Skills: Labs will be conducted once a week. The use of laboratory work will allow students to apply their newfound knowledge of robotic systems to a variety of practical systems. The introductory labs are designed to familiarize students with the material required to prepare for the major laboratory project. Introductory Labs (30%) Consist of 1. Manipulator Lab: Due Week 4 (10%); 2. Sensing Lab: Due Week 6 (10%); 3. Navigation Lab: Due Week 9 (10%) Project: Major Project Presentation and Report (40%) Students will be asked to present a demonstration of their major project to other students and staff. This will encourage them to produce a system of sufficient quality that they can demonstrate it to their peers. This will also provide the students with an opportunity to share their experiences with their classmates. |
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| Grading: |
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| Policies & Procedures: | All university policies can be found at http://sydney.edu.au/policy Policies and request forms for the Faculty of Engineering and IT can be found on the forms and policies page of the faculty website at http://sydney.edu.au/engineering/forms |
| Recommended Reference/s: |
Note: References are provided for guidance purposes only. Students are advised to consult these books in the university library. Purchase is not required.
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| Online Course Content: | http://www.aeromech.usyd.edu.au/MTRX4700/ |
| Note on Resources: | There is no prescribed text for this course. Recommended reading and references will be provided in relation to assignments. |
Note that the "Weeks" referred to in this Schedule are those of the official university semester calendar https://web.timetable.usyd.edu.au/calendar.jsp
| Week | Description |
| Week 1 | Lecture: Introduction, history and philosophy of robotics. |
| Week 2 | Lecture: Robot kinematics & dynamics |
| Lab: Kinematics/Dynamics | |
| Week 3 | Lecture: Sensors, measurements and perception |
| Lab: Kinematics/Dynamics | |
| Week 4 | Lecture: Robot vision and vision processing |
| Assessment Due: Assignment 1 - Kinematics and Dynamics | |
| Week 5 | Lecture: Localization and navigation |
| Processing laser data. | |
| Week 6 | Lecture: Estimation and Data Fusion. |
| Lab: Processing vision data. | |
| Week 7 | Lecture: No lecture - ANZAC day |
| Lab: Navigation exercise - beacon based navigation. | |
| Assessment Due: Assignment 2 - Sensing | |
| Week 8 | Lecture: Obstacle avoidance and path planning. |
| Lab: Navigation exercise - beacon based navigation. | |
| Week 9 | Lecture: Extra tutorial session (nav demo). |
| Lab: Major Project | |
| Assessment Due: Assignment 3 - Navigation | |
| Week 10 | Lecture: Robotic architectures, multiple robot systems. |
| Lab: Major Project | |
| Week 11 | Lecture: Robot learning. |
| Lab: Major Project | |
| Week 12 | Lecture: Case Study. |
| Lab: Major Project | |
| Week 13 | Lecture: Extra tutorial session (Major Project) |
| Lab: Major Project demonstration. | |
| Assessment Due: Major Project | |
| Exam Period | Assessment Due: Final Exam |
Course Relations
The following is a list of courses which have added this Unit to their structure.
Course Goals
This unit contributes to the achievement of the following course goals:
| Attribute | Practiced | Assessed |
| Project and Team Skills (Level 3) | Yes | 0% |
| Design (Level 3) | Yes | 17.46% |
| Engineering/IT Specialisation (Level 4) | Yes | 47.19% |
| Information Seeking (Level 3) | Yes | 7.44% |
| Communication (Level 4) | Yes | 16.18% |
| Professional Conduct (Level 3) | No | 11.73% |
These goals are selected from Engineering & IT Graduate Outcomes Table which defines overall goals for courses where this unit is primarily offered. See Engineering & IT Graduate Outcomes Table for details of the attributes and levels to be developed in the course as a whole. Percentage figures alongside each course goal provide a rough indication of their relative weighting in assessment for this unit. Note that not all goals are necessarily part of assessment. Some may be more about practice activity. See Learning outcomes for details of what is assessed in relation to each goal and Assessment for details of how the outcome is assessed. See Attributes for details of practice provided for each goal.
