Course Outline
Level
For beginners up for a challenge No specific skills required, but any programming skills would be put to good use.
Suitable For
Adults and Teenagers
Description
Understand the construction and control of robotic arms and get them to perform useful work.
Detail
Anatomy of a Robotic Arm
We will examine a robotic arm to understand how its movements are controlled.
Motors
We will look at the types of motors available and their pros and cons.
Using code to control a motor
You will write some code in Python to make controlled movements of a motor.
Building and controlling a simple arm
You will build a simple arm with 2 motors and use Python to make coordinated movements of the arm.
Precision movements
You will use a bit of maths and coding to move the arm to a specific point and to draw lines.
Theory
We will look at what we have learned through the hands-on activity and relate it to engineering priciples such as degrees of freedom, joint types and forces.
Simple Application
You will apply your learnings to program a simple off-the-shelf robot arm.
Advanced Robotic Applications
You will use an industrial quality robot to carry out some precision activities, including precise repetitive movements, drawing and laser etching.
Individual Projects
Students will be encouraged to experiment and create their own tasks.
Price
Prices depend on location. See individual dates for details.
Skills you will pick up in the course
Key skill categories
- Robotics
- Python programming
- Engineering
- Problem solving
On successful completion of this course, students will be able to
- Explain the overall workings of robotic arm.
- Control the robotic arm axes individually and in coordination.
- Use Python to program the robotic arm to carry out specified work tasks.
- Breakdown complex computational problems into manageable tasks.