Course Schedule
Detailed Weekly Schedule
Note: Some sessions will be held at ALIC @ Bessemer (764 Bessemer St # 105, Meadville, PA 16335) for hands-on work with industrial equipment. Please fill out the transportation intake form to indicate your transportation preference.
Project Legend
- P1 = Wheeled Robot
- P2 = PLC
- P3 = FANUC
- P4 = ROS Simulation & 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 26–30) | Actuators (cont.); sensors; kinematics; reactive control | Activity 1: Servo and Stepper Motor Experiments (Due Jan 28, 11:50am) Activity 2: Distance Sensors (Due Feb 2, 11:50am) |
P1: Basic control + sensing | Sensors Slides IAR Ch. 7 |
| 4 (Feb 2–6) | Finishing P1. Sensors | Activity 3: Environmental Sensors (Due Feb 6, 11:50am) Feb 6: No class - read PLC Guidebook Part II |
P1 demos | PLC Guidebook Part II |
| 5 (Feb 9–13) | Deterministic control; introduction to PLCs | Feb 9 (11am-11:50am @ Bessemer): Tour, safety instructions, PLC demo Feb 10 (2:30-4pm @ Bessemer): PLC preliminary activity |
Project 2 Preparation | PLC Slides PLC Guidebook Part III Exam 1 Review |
| — | Exam 1 (February 13th) | — | — | Covers P1 (locomotion, kinematics, sensors) |
| 6 (Feb 16–20) | Ladder logic and manufacturing applications. | Feb 17 (2:30-4pm @ Bessemer): PLC work | Project 2: PLC Community Project 1 partner-research.md due Feb 20, 11am |
PLC Slides |
| 7 (Feb 23–27) | Human–robot collaboration; industrial workflows | Feb 23 (11am-11:50am @ Bessemer): PLC work day Feb 24 (2:30-4pm @ Bessemer): P2 due Activity 4: Collaborative Robot Fundamentals (Due Feb 27, 11:59pm) |
P2: PLC due CP1: design.md due Feb 27, 11am |
Collaborative Robots Slides |
| 8 (Mar 1–8) | Spring Break – No Classes | — | — | — |
| 9 (Mar 9–13) | Collaborative robot operations and programming | Mar 9 (11am-11:50am @ Bessemer): FANUC work (tentative) Mar 10 (2:30-4pm @ Bessemer): FANUC work Mar 11 (11am-11:50am @ Bessemer): FANUC work(P3 due) Mar 13: Exam II Review |
Project 3: FANUC CRX (Due Mar 11) CP1: Working prototype due Mar 13, 11am |
Collaborative Robots Slides Exam 2 Review |
| 10 (Mar 16–20) | Why ROS? Robot software architectures; nodes, topics, pub/sub | CP1 feedback from community partner (Mar 16) Activity 5: ROS2 Setup & First Simulation (Due Mar 23, 11am) |
CP1: Development plan update in design.md due Mar 17, 4:00pm |
ROS2 Intro Slides IAR Ch. 12 |
| — | Exam 2 (March 18th) | — | — | Covers PLC + FANUC CRX |
| 11 (Mar 23–27) | Sensors in ROS2; lidar and occupancy grids; SLAM and mapping | Activity 6: Understanding SLAM (Due Mon Mar 30, 11am) SLAM review + Docker troubleshooting |
Project 4: ROS Simulation & TurtleBots (assigned Mar 24, due Apr 14, 4pm) CP1: Implementation + testing checkpoint week |
SLAM & Mapping Slides IAR Ch. 13 |
| 12 (Mar 30–Apr 3) | Localization and path planning; Nav2 navigation stack; writing ROS2 nodes; sim-to-real | Activity 7: Navigation Under the Hood (Mon/Wed work; due Fri Apr 3, 11am) Navigation slides + Activity 7 |
P4: ROS Simulation & TurtleBots (continued) CP1: Final testing + demo prep checkpoint |
IAR Ch. 14 Navigation & Path Planning Slides ROS2 Nav2 docs |
| 13 (Apr 6–10) (Decl Day Apr 6; Recharge Apr 9–10) |
Autonomous navigation; obstacle avoidance; global vs local planners | P4 work (limited days due to Decl Day and Recharge) | P4: ROS Simulation & TurtleBots (continued) FP: Proposal + architecture review CP1: Final deliverables + presentations Apr 7 (Lab 2:30–4:00pm) |
No new reading |
| 14 (Apr 13–17) | System integration; simulation vs reality; ethics and deployment | FP work and testing | P4 due FP: Build & test |
Selected civic/ethics readings |
| — | Exam 3 (April 17th) | — | — | ROS + autonomy concepts |
| 15 (Apr 20–24) | 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