Course Schedule
Detailed Weekly Schedule
Project Legend
- P1 = Wheeled Robot
- P2 = PLC + FANUC
- P3 = ROS Simulation
- P4 = TurtleBots
- FP = Final Project
| Week | Topic | Class Activities | Project Assignment | Readings / Resources |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 (Jan 12–17) | Course intro; What is a robot? Arduino, locomotion | Modern Robots Presentations | Project 1: Wheeled Robot (Due Feb 3) | Locomotion Slides IAR Ch. 1 |
| 2 (Jan 20–24) (MLK Mon off) | Actuators; wiring, power | Project 1 work time | P1: Mechanical build, wiring, power | Motors & Arduino Slides IAR Ch. 2.1-2.3, 6 |
| 3 (Jan 27–31) | Actuators (cont.); sensors; kinematics; reactive control | Activity 1: Servo and Stepper Motor Experiments (Due Jan 27, 4pm) | P1: Basic control + sensing; demo | IAR Ch. 7 |
| 4 (Feb 3–7) | Deterministic control; state machines; why PLCs exist | — | P2: PLC ladder logic basics; discrete I/O | PLC Presentation: Intro, PLC basics, ladder logic fundamentals IAR: Ch. 2 (sections on control architectures) |
| 5 (Feb 10–14) | Safety, interlocks, fault handling | — | P2: PLC timers, counters, safety logic | PLC Presentation: Timers, counters, interlocks, fault states FANUC Manual: Safety overview + operational modes |
| — | Exam 1 (February 13th) | — | — | Covers P1 + basic PLC concepts |
| 6 (Feb 17–21) | Human–robot collaboration; industrial workflows | — | P2: FANUC CRX task programming; PLC ↔ robot coordination | FANUC Manual: Teach pendant operation, task execution IAR: Ch. 1 (human–robot interaction sections) |
| 7 (Feb 24–27) | System integration; comparison to autonomy | — | P2: Full PLC–FANUC cell demo | IAR: Ch. 3 (reactive systems) Short instructor note: PLC vs ROS comparison |
| 8 (Feb 28–Mar 8) | Spring Break – No Classes | — | — | — |
| 9 (Mar 10–14) | Why ROS? Robot software architectures | — | P3: ROS setup; simulation intro | IAR Ch. 2–3; ROS 2 Beginner Tutorials |
| — | Exam 2 (March 13th) | — | — | Covers PLC/FANUC + ROS fundamentals |
| 10 (Mar 17–21) | Motion models; navigation concepts | — | P3: Autonomous behaviors in simulation | IAR Ch. 12 |
| 11 (Mar 24–28) | Simulation vs reality; sensing uncertainty | — | P4: TurtleBot bring-up & navigation | IAR Ch. 14 |
| 12 (Mar 31–Apr 4) | Robustness, recovery, evaluation | — | P4: TurtleBot demos & comparison | ROS navigation docs |
| — | Exam 3 (April 3rd) | — | — | ROS + autonomy concepts |
| 13 (Apr 7–11) (Decl Day Apr 6; Recharge Apr 9–10) | Project integration; system design | — | FP: Proposal + architecture review | No new reading |
| 14 (Apr 14–18) | Ethics, communication, deployment | — | FP: Build & test | Selected civic/ethics readings |
| 15 (Apr 21–27) | Reflection; future of robotics | — | FP: Demos & presentations | None |
Course Flow: The Big Picture
The course follows a progressive shift in abstraction and uncertainty:
Physical Embodiment → Deterministic Control → Probabilistic Autonomy → System Integration
This sequence mirrors how robotic systems are encountered in professional practice and supports cognitive development from concrete reasoning to abstract systems thinking.
Five Phases of Learning
| Phase | Weeks | Focus | What You’ll Build | Key Concept | Assessment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Phase 1 Physical Robot | 1–3 | Hardware embodiment | Wheeled robot from components | Robots are physical systems with mechanical, electrical, and sensing constraints | Project and class activities |
| Phase 2 Industrial Control | 4–7 | Deterministic logic | PLC + FANUC robotic cell | Safety through predictability and human-centered design | Project and class activities Exam 1 |
| Phase 3 Software Autonomy | 9–10 | Software architecture | ROS simulation behaviors | Autonomous systems require abstraction and planning | Project and class activities Exam 2 |
| Phase 4 Real Autonomy | 11–12 | Uncertainty & robustness | TurtleBot navigation | Simulation ≠ reality; robustness requires testing | Project and class activities Exam 3 |
| Phase 5 Integration | 13–15 | Synthesis & judgment | Final project of your design | Engineering is about choices, not just tools | Project and class activities Presentation |
Cumulative Learning
Each phase builds on all prior work. Concepts are revisited with increasing depth:
Week 1–3: [Physical Systems]
↓
Week 4–7: [Physical Systems] + [Deterministic Control] + [Safety]
↓
Week 9–10: [Physical Systems] + [Control Architectures] + [Software Abstraction]
↓
Week 11–12: [Physical Systems] + [Control] + [Abstraction] + [Uncertainty] + [Robustness]
↓
Week 13–15: [Physical] + [Control] + [Abstraction] + [Uncertainty] + [Integration] + [Ethics]
Order
- Physical first: You can’t understand software abstractions without hardware constraints
- Industrial before autonomous: Most robots prioritize safety over intelligence
- Simulation before hardware: Learn ROS architecture without hardware debugging
- Integration last: Make informed design choices only after experiencing tradeoffs