Introduction to Robotics & Mechatronics (151-0641-00) :: Syllabus

Instructor
Prof. Dr. Bradley Nelson
CLA H 15.2
Phone: +41 44 632 55 29
bnelson@ethz.ch

Assistants
Kathrin Peyer
CLA H16
Phone: +41 44 632 55 54
peyerk@ethz.ch

Franziska Ullrich
CLA H19
Phone: +41 44 632 44 75
fullrich@ethz.ch

Naveen Shamsudhin
CLA H16
Phone: +41 44 632 35 21
snaveen@ethz.ch

Learning Objectives

An ever increasing number of mechatronic systems are finding their way into our daily lives. Mechatronic systems synergistically combine computer science, electrical engineering, and mechanical engineering. Robotics systems can be viewed as a subset of mechatronics that focuses on sophisticated control of moving devices. The aim of this lecture is to expose students to the fundamentals of these systems. Over the course of these lectures, topics will include how to interface a computer with the real world, different types of sensors and their use, different types of actuators and their use, and forward and inverse kinematics of simple two link robotic manipulators. Throughout the course students will periodically attend laboratory sessions and implement lessons learned during lectures on real mechatronic systems.

Lecture: Spring Semester (FS), Mondays, 16.00 - 18.00, HG E41 (detailed lecture plan see below)
Please note: only students who have been contacted via email (by Kathrin) and have had their registration confirmed can participate. Students on the waiting list will get the final notice by the end of the week. Students that only registered via mystudies.ch and not via email cannot participate.

Lab:

Room: CLA F22. Detailed lab plan see below.
Wednesdays, 10.00 - 12.00
Other lab sessions will be determined at the beginning of the semester.
You will be able to access the lab at any time using the PIN code which will be given to you the first day.

Please keep this code confidential. Note that the CLA building cannot be re-entered from 19:00 to 07:00 on weekdays and all day on weekends.
A different person will type at every lab session.

ECTS credits: 4 ECTS

Number of participants: restricted to max. 45 students

Language: English

Fokus: Mechatronik (BSc. Mech. Engin.)

Prerequisite: Students are expected to be familiar with C programming.

Office hours: If you have a question, feel free to ask the teaching assistants either by email or in person. The teaching assistants will be present during lab sessions in CLA F22, otherwise you'll find them in their offices.

Exams: The written examination will cover both the lecture and the labs, including prelabs and postlabs. See lecture plan for the date. You are allowed to bring a one sheet (double-sided) handwritten summary (no copies) to the exam.

Grading:

The final grade consists in the weighted average of the overall lab participation grade and the written examination grade.
The overall lab participation grade consists in the average of each lab's grade.
A lab grade consists in the weighted average of the prelab and the postlab and lab report.
One pre-lab report will be turned in for each group. The deadline to turn the pre-labs in is at the beginning of the respective lab session. No late prelab will be accepted.
One postlab and lab report will be turned in for each group. The deadline to turn these in is at the beginning of the following lab session. No late postlab and lab report will be accepted. Any person absent without leave at the lab session will not receive the credits for that postlab and lab report.

Lecture Plan

No.	Date	Topic	Description
0	27.02.2012	Introduction	This week, students get a brief overview to robotics and the lecture.
1	29.02.2012	C Programming	We will discuss the basics of programming in C. Students are expected to have a working knowledge of C programming.
2	05.03.2012	Sensors	This lecture starts with an overview of sensor types and applications. Topics will include: digital sensors, analog sensors, and sensor specifications.
3	12.03.2012	Data Acquisition	How do we get signals into a computer? In the first half of the lecture we will examine A/D, D/A and the sampling theorem.
4	19.03.2012	Data Filtering	This lecture is a more in depth look at the sampling theorem and digital filtering.
5	26.03.2012	Signal Processing	Sensors in practice are often significantly different than sensors in theory, due to noise. Although much modeling and examination of systems is in a noise free environment, it is not the case in most applications. This week we will be examining different sources of noise and begin to understand how to remove it from the system.
6	02.04.2012	Actuator	An introduction to different types of actuators including servomotors, dc motors, ac motors, and linear actuators.
Spring Break	11.04.2012	No lecture
Sechseläuten	16.04.2012	No lecture
7	23.04.2012	Modeling	Modeling and Control of Dynamic Systems
8	30.04.2012	Kinematics	An introduction to kinematics and robotics
9	07.05.2012	Review and Outlook	An overview of the future of robotics and mechatronics. Review of the lecture and questions.
Exam	30.05.2012		One sheet (double-sided) handwritten summary (no copies) allowed.

Lab Plan

No.	Date	Topic	Description
0	07.03.2012	C Programming	To introduce the students to the systems we will be using for the course, we will create our first C program in Linux and get an introduction into Makefiles. We will also experiment with manipulating binary and hexadecimal numbers.
1	14.03.2012	Data Acquisition: Joystick driver	We will use the Sensoray 626 card to sample data from analog potentiometers (joystick) and digital switches (buttons) in a simple joystick device.
2	21.03.2012 & 28.03.2012	Data Acquisition: MEMS sensor	In this lab a micro force sensor is used to measure magnetic forces. The force – distance relationship will be linearized.
3	04.04.2012 & 18.04.2012	Digital filtering	Sensors in practice are often significantly different than sensors in theory due to noise. In this lab, we will implement two digital filters and test them.
4	25.04.2012	Actuator	The students will communicate with a piezoelectric stepping drive and analyze the system response.
5	02.05.2012 & 09.05.2012	PID control	Student will implement a closed-loop control using feedback from the sensor.
6	16.05.2012 & 23.05.2012	3-Axis system	In the final lab sessions, we will implement 3-axis motion algorithms combining the knowledge and code gained in the previous lab sessions.