Queen Mary, University of London School of Engineering and Material Science

School of Engineering and Materials

DEN408/DENM0011 Robotics
Course Information
Aim of the Course: This is a comprehensive course covering the fundamental areas of robotics technology. The
aims of this course are to introduce robotics as an integral part of modern automation, to provide an introductory
insight into the engineering design and application of robot manipulator systems, to provide an understanding of
kinematics, dynamics and trajectory planning of robotic manipulators, to explain the actuator and sensor
principle and roles in robotics, to introduce various aspects of robot modelling and control and to introduce
problems encountered in robot programming and their remedies.

Key Skills Gained: A student on the course can expect to gain experience with the solution of typical problems
associated with the practical design of robot manipulators.

Learning objectives:
After successfully completing the course, the student will be able to:
1. explain the influence of robots on a production process and society;
2. analyse the engineering of robot manipulator systems, including geometrical configurations, coordinate
systems, drive actuators, programming and control;
3. explain and apply the kinematics of a robot including inverse- kinematics phenomenon;
4. explain and apply the dynamics of a robot;
5. solve robot planning problems by applying path and trajectory calculations;
6. explain the role of actuators and sensors in robot design and control;
7. explain, analyse and apply different control strategies addressing both rigid body and flexible dynamics
8. explain and apply robot programming considering important aspects such as real- time requirements
and their remedy using high performance computing and parallel processing.

Course value: 1 cu Semester: 8

Level: 4
Prerequisites: DEN109 Electrical Technology
MAE112 Eng. Maths 3 Lectures: 44 h
DEN211 Vibrations & Control of Dynamic
Systems

Course organisers: Dr. Ranjan Vepa, Dr M H Shaheed

Syllabus

1. Robots: past, present and future, application
and social impact.
2. Robot fundamentals and components:
Components: arm/manipulator, end effectors, joints,
actuators and sensors; degrees of freedom,
coordinates, reference frames, programming modes,
characteristics, workspace and robot languages.
3. Robot Coordinates: coordinate systems,
coordinate transformations.
4. Kinematics: position gripper, direct and inverse
kinematics.
5. Kinematics: velocity gripper, direct and inverse
Jacobian matrices.
6. Dynamics: virtual work, Newton-Euler,
Lagrange.
7. Motion planning: paths, trajectories and
obstacles.
8. Actuators: Characteristics, different types of
actuators: hydraulic devices, pneumatic devices,
electric motors, magnetostrictive actuators.
9. Sensors and measurement systems: sensor
characteristics, position, velocity, acceleration,
force& pressure, and torque sensors, micro-
switches, light and infrared sensors, touch and
tactile sensors, proximity sensors, range finders,
sniff sensors.
10. Vision systems and Image processing &
analysis: vision systems, image acquisition,
sampling and quantisation, sampling theorem,
image processing techniques, image analysis, real-
time image processing.
11. Dynamic modelling and control of robots:
modelling concepts and types, control of position
and vibrations, model-based and AI-based control
techniques.
12. Programming of robots: operating systems,
real-time requirements, parallel processing, event
detection.

DEN408 Robotics 8 January, 2014

Queen Mary, University of London School of Engineering and Material Science

Examination: One written paper, 2.5 h 70 marks

Coursework:
1. Essay on the applications of robots and their impact on the society (10 marks)
2. MATLAB/SIMULINK Computer Aided Simulation exercise (20 marks)
3. Solutions to selected tutorial exercises. (formative assessment)

Class format:
The class format will consist of lectures discussing theory, and tutorial exercises classes which apply theory to
practical design problems, using real world examples.

Computer Aided Exercise: A computer aided design exercise, employing MATLAB/SIMULINK, based on the
simulation of a controlled robot manipulator is to be completed. Several learning resources to learn SIMULINK
as well as MATLAB and other language compilers are available on the Departments PCs in the Computer
Laboratory on the 1st floor of the Engineering Building.
Alternately, solutions to a selected set of tutorial examples must be completed and handed in.

Tutorial Exercises: The tutorial exercises are designed to apply the theory we learn in class to simple real
world problems. Attending these sessions is therefore as or more important than the lecture sessions. There will
be approximately 8 such exercises during the semester. Students are expected to work on these exercises by
themselves and not use “canned” programs, unless told to do so. Any evidence of plagiarism will lead to the
student being awarded no coursework marks. Later tutorial exercises will rely on correct solutions from earlier
exercises. It is the student’s responsibility to correct problems/errors in order to use these solutions for later
exercises. It is also important that students keep up to date with the tutorial sessions.

Coursework submission: The Department’s submission date for semester 4 coursework, prior to the
commencement of the third term, will apply. All coursework must be handed in on that date or earlier in the
Department office to the concerned staff responsible for coursework collection. Students will have an
opportunity to discuss their submission prior to that date, either in the tutorial sessions or in person with the
course lecturer on an individual basis, by appointment. All students on the course are encouraged to avail of the
opportunity.

Late submission of coursework: Late submission of coursework will carry penalties depending on the
individual situation. Failure to submit any coursework within three weeks will mean that no course mark will be
awarded. Failure to submit any coursework within one week will mean a 20% reduction in the assessed course
mark.

Plagiarism: Solutions to the tutorial exercises and coursework problems should be written in a manner that
demonstrates that the student does indeed understand each problem and its solution. It is essential to be
reasonably verbose as each logical step in the solution is explained. While a student should feel free to discuss
the problems with fellow students, it is expected that each student will submit their own coursework that is
written in their own unique style. Copied work does not demonstrate a students understanding, and thus will
receive no mark.

Examination format: There will be an examination for this course at end of the academic year during the
examination period. A sample examination paper and a marking scheme will be provided to all students.
Students will be required to answer 4 out of a total of 6 full questions.

Attendance: Regular attendance is expected. The instructor will not go over material during office personal
tutorials for classes missed unless there is a really good excuse; e.g., illness, death (with proof).

Textbook: No textbook is required. Handouts for some topics will be provided to supplement lectures. The
following are some of the references on which these notes are based on:

Recommended Books
Introduction to Robotics (analysis, Systems, Applications), Saeed B. Niku, Prentice Hall, Inc. 2001
Introduction to Robotics (Mechanics and Control), John J. Craig, Addison Wesley Longman 1989
Modelling and Control of Robot Manipulators, L Sciavicco and B. Siciliano, Springer, 2003
Parallel Computing for Real-time Signal processing and Control, M. O. Tokhi, M. A. Hossain and
M.H.Shaheed, Springer, 2003
Mechatronics sourcebook, Newton C. Braga, 2003.

DEN408 Robotics 8 January, 2014