This course provides an introduction to modern robotics. The focus is on robot kinematics, sensing techniques, localization, and mapping. Topics to be covered include robot spatial configuration, homogeneous coordinate transformation, mobile robot locomotion, mobile robot kinematics, robot motion control, sensors and perception, robot localization, simultaneous localization and mapping SLAM, robotic system architecture.
The applied component of the course includes experimental work with a programmable mobile robotic platform equipped with sensors. This applied component is aimed at integrating sensor measurements to build a representation of the environment and perform a robotic task.
Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion, students will have the knowledge and skills to:
- Discuss the history, concepts and key components of robotics technologies.
- Describe and compare various robot sensors and their perception principles that enable a robot to analyse their environment, reason and take appropriate actions toward the given goal.
- Analyse and solve problems in spatial coordinate representation and spatial transformation, robot locomotion, kinematics, motion control, and localization and mapping.
- Apply and demonstrate the learned knowledge and skills in practical robotics applications.
- Plan, design and implement robotic systems, algorithms and software capable of operating in complex and interactive environments.
- Effectively communicate engineering concepts and design decisions using a range of media.
Other Information
Professional Skills Mapping:
Mapping of Learning Outcomes to Assessment and Professional Competencies
Indicative Assessment
- Practical Labs (40) [LO 1,4,5,6]
- Assignments (20) [LO 1,2,3,6]
- Final Exam (40) [LO 1,2,3,6]
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Workload
Approximately 10 hours per week is expected with a total of 130 hours for the entire course. The workload covers the learning activities of lecture content, practical labs, and assignments, as well as adequate self-study and completion of assessments.
Requisite and Incompatibility
Prescribed Texts
None.
Preliminary Reading
R. Siegwart, Introduction to Autonomous Mobile Robots, 2nd Edition, MIT Press, 2011.
S. Thrun, W. Burgard, and D. Fox, Probabilistic Robotics, MIT Press, 2005.
Majors
Minors
Fees
Tuition fees are for the academic year indicated at the top of the page.
Commonwealth Support (CSP) Students
If you have been offered a Commonwealth supported place, your fees are set by the Australian Government for each course. At ANU 1 EFTSL is 48 units (normally 8 x 6-unit courses). More information about your student contribution amount for each course at Fees.
- Student Contribution Band:
- 2
- Unit value:
- 6 units
If you are a domestic graduate coursework student with a Domestic Tuition Fee (DTF) place or international student you will be required to pay course tuition fees (see below). Course tuition fees are indexed annually. Further information for domestic and international students about tuition and other fees can be found at Fees.
Where there is a unit range displayed for this course, not all unit options below may be available.
| Units | EFTSL |
|---|---|
| 6.00 | 0.12500 |
Offerings, Dates and Class Summary Links
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Class summaries, if available, can be accessed by clicking on the View link for the relevant class number.
Second Semester
| Class number | Class start date | Last day to enrol | Census date | Class end date | Mode Of Delivery | Class Summary |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7170 | 27 Jul 2026 | 03 Aug 2026 | 31 Aug 2026 | 30 Oct 2026 | In Person | N/A |