Robotics: Mobility

Go to Course: https://www.coursera.org/learn/robotics-mobility

Introduction

## Course Review: Robotics: Mobility on Coursera ### Introduction In the rapidly advancing field of robotics, the ability for machines to navigate complex and unstructured environments is paramount. If you're thrilled by the potential of robots that can mimic the elegance and efficiency of animal mobility, then the course **"Robotics: Mobility"** on Coursera is an exceptional choice. Designed for individuals with a passion for robotics and a desire to understand the nuances of robot mobility, this course dives deep into how motors and sensors can be utilized to design adaptable and capable robotic systems. ### Course Overview This course offers a comprehensive examination of the principles underlying robotic mobility, guided by inspiration from the natural movements of animals. The curriculum emphasizes designing robot bodies and behaviors that leverage limbs and appendages to achieve reliable movement within dynamic environments. By employing simplified dynamical abstractions, participants will learn to partially automate complex sensorimotor programming. ### Course Structure & Syllabus The course is organized into four comprehensive modules, each focusing on different aspects of mobility in robotics: 1. **Introduction: Motivation and Background** - Here, you explore the concept of bioinspiration, deriving principles from nature's mobility rather than merely imitating it. The module introduces foundational concepts of physics and mathematics, such as linear spring-mass-damper systems and nonlinear dynamics exemplified by pendulums. A solid grounding in stability and energy basins sets the tone for the complexity ahead. 2. **Behavioral (Templates) & Physical (Bodies)** - This section delves into the fundamental mechanisms behind robotic movement, introducing simple templates that reflect essential locomotor strategies. You'll examine the mechanics of gaits through models like the compass gait and spring-loaded inverted pendulum. The module wraps up with a look into materials science and actuators, crucial for understanding how robots can effectively translate energy into movement. 3. **Anchors: Embodied Behaviors** - Focused on the interplay between physical structures and their coordinated motions, this module addresses the geometry of movement and explores diverse animal locomotion strategies—from hexapedal cockroaches to quadrupedal mammals and bipedal robots. It challenges students to rethink morphology and adapt successful designs from the animal kingdom to enhance robotic function. 4. **Composition (Programming Work)** - The final module introduces dynamical composition, guiding students through sequential and parallel behaviors in programming. By contextualizing research into legged mobility, the course culminates in understanding how diverse composites and structures can lead to innovative robotic behaviors, with a glance at exciting areas of transitional mechanics like leaping. ### Teaching Methodology The course employs a mix of video lectures, hands-on exercises, and interactive quizzes, fostering an engaging and well-rounded learning experience. The blend of theoretical principles with practical applications ensures students understand the "why" and "how" of robotic mobility. Each module is supplemented with extensive reading materials accessible via provided bibliographies, allowing deeper exploration of the topics discussed. ### Who Should Enroll "Robotics: Mobility" is particularly well-suited for undergraduate and graduate students in engineering, computer science, or related fields. However, enthusiasts and hobbyists with a foundational understanding of robotics will find value as well. No matter your background, a curiosity for how robots can move more like animals will enrich your experience and learning. ### Recommendation If you're fascinated by robotics and eager to understand how to create machines that can navigate and adapt in real-world scenarios, **I highly recommend "Robotics: Mobility."** The course's structured approach and rigorous academic content provide invaluable insights into both the science and art of robotic mobility. Plus, the skills acquired can power your future projects or research endeavors in a field that continues to expand and innovate. ### Conclusion Embarking on the "Robotics: Mobility" course on Coursera is a step into the intriguing world of robotic motion inspired by nature. The comprehensive syllabus, expert knowledge dissemination, and emphasis on practical programming create a robust framework for anyone interested in mastering the principles behind agile and effective robotic systems. Dive in, and take a step towards shaping the future of robotics! For more information and to enroll, visit [Coursera - Robotics: Mobility](https://www.coursera.org/learn/robotics-mobility).

Syllabus

Introduction: Motivation and Background

We start with a general consideration of animals, the exemplar of mobility in nature. This leads us to adopt the stance of bioinspiration rather than biomimicry, i.e., extracting principles rather than appearances and applying them systematically to our machines. A little more thinking about typical animal mobility leads us to focus on appendages – limbs and tails – as sources of motion. The second portion of the week offers a bit of background on the physical and mathematical foundations of limbed robotic mobility. We start with a linear spring-mass-damper system and consider the second order ordinary differential equation that describes it as a first order dynamical system. We then treat the simple pendulum – the simplest revolute kinematic limb – in the same manner just to give a taste for the nature of nonlinear dynamics that inevitably arise in robotics. We’ll finish with a treatment of stability and energy basins. Link to bibliography: https://www.coursera.org/learn/robotics-mobility/resources/pqYOc

We’ll start with behavioral components that take the form of what we call “templates:” very simple mechanisms whose motions are fundamental to the more complex limbed strategies employed by animal and robot locomotors. We’ll focus on the “compass gait” (the motion of a two spoked rimless wheel) and the spring loaded inverted pendulum – the abbreviated versions of legged walkers and legged runners, respectively.We’ll then shift over to look at the physical components of mobility. We’ll start with the notion of physical scaling laws and then review useful materials properties and their associated figures of merit. We’ll end with a brief but crucial look at the science and technology of actuators – the all important sources of the driving forces and torques in our robots. Link to bibliography: https://www.coursera.org/learn/robotics-mobility/resources/pqYOc

Now we’ll put physical links and joints together and consider the geometry and the physics required to understand their coordinated motion. We’ll learn about the geometry of degrees of freedom. We’ll then go back to Newton and learn a compact way to write down the physical dynamics that describes the positions, velocities and accelerations of those degrees of freedom when forced by our actuators.Of course there are many different ways to put limbs and bodies together: again, the animals can teach us a lot as we consider the best morphology for our limbed robots. Sprawled posture runners like cockroaches have six legs which typically move in a stereotyped pattern which we will consider as a model for a hexapedal machine. Nature’s quadrupeds have their own varied gait patterns which we will match up to various four-legged robot designs as well. Finally, we’ll consider bipedal machines, and we’ll take the opportunity to distinguish human-like robot bipeds that are almost foredoomed to be slow quasi-static machines from a number of less animal-like bipedal robots whose embrace of bioinspired principles allows them to be fast runners and jumpers. Link to bibliography: https://www.coursera.org/learn/robotics-mobility/resources/pqYOc

We now introduce the concept of dynamical composition, reviewing two types: a composition in time that we term “sequential”; and composition in space that we call “parallel.” We’ll put a bit more focus into that last concept, parallel composition and review what has been done historically, and what can be guaranteed mathematically when the simple templates of week 2 are tasked to worked together “in parallel” on variously more complicated morphologies. The final section of this week’s lesson brings you to the horizons of research into legged mobility. We give examples of how the same composition can be anchored in different bodies, and, conversely, how the same body can be made to run using different compositions. We will conclude with a quick look at the ragged edge of what is known about transitional behaviors such as leaping. Link to bibliography: https://www.coursera.org/learn/robotics-mobility/resources/pqYOc