Second of a four-course sequence introducing foundational theory and practice of robotics engineering and the application of concepts from the fields of computer science, electrical engineering and mechanical engineering to the design of robots. The focus of this course is the interactions between a robot and the environment through sensors, feedback and decision processes. Principles of electronic transducers, including performance, selection, and application of sensors will be presented. Interfaces between microcontrollers and sensors are introduced, including conditioning circuits, filters, analog-to-digital conversion, digitization, and sampling. Basic feedback mechanisms for mechanical systems will be implemented via electronic circuits and software mechanisms. The necessary software concepts will be introduced for modular design and implementation of decision algorithms and finite state machines. Laboratory sessions consist of hands-on exercises and team projects where students design and build robots and related sub-systems.
RBE 2001, ECE 2010, and either CS 1101 or CS 1102.