Robotics So
Robotics So
41013 Robotics
Course area UTS: Engineering
Delivery Autumn 2020; City
Credit points 6cp
Requisite(s) 48623 Mechatronics 2
Result type Grade and marks
Attendance: 3hpw. Forms of attendance, mode of delivery and assessment requirements in this subject have changed
to enable social distancing and reduce the risks of spreading COVID-19 in our community. Consequently, the Subject
Outline information for this subject has changed. Details of the changes are published in an addendum to the Subject
Outline which is available on UTSOnline/Canvas.
Recommended studies: Maths review
Vector intro for linear algebra
Introduction to the matrix
Matrix multiplication introduction
Identity matrix
Transformation matrix for position vector
Introduction to eigenvalues and eigenvectors
Code review
Subject coordinator
Dr. Gavin Paul (Lecturer)
Email: [email protected]
Room: CB11.09.208
Phone: +61 2 9514 2969
Teaching staff
Dr. Gavin Paul (Lecturer)
Email: [email protected]
Room: CB11.09.208
Phone: +61 2 9514 2969
After watching the lecture videos, reading the lecture slides or textbook and attending class, if you still wish to discuss
questions or need further help with understanding concepts in the subject, please see the lecturer or tutor immediately
after class. Alternatively, asking questions on the UTSOnline Discussion board is encouraged. If all avenues are
exhausted, then please email details of how you attempted to solve the problem yourself (or in collaboration with
others) to tutors or the appropriate lecturer. Email messages will be responded to within two working days. In special
circumstances appointments outside of allocated times can be requested via email.
This subject integrates safety into the design and working procedure, and encourages students to be aware of safety
engineering to lower risk and prevent robot-related accidents from occurring. This subject also investigates ethical
questions related to the inevitable increase of robots into industry and our daily lives. Discussions are encouraged
around the implications these changes have on society, and specifically a human workforce that may no longer be
required due to no fault of their own.
Students are expected to attend all classes during the teaching session.
Content (topics)
Foundations of robotics: kinematics and dynamics for manipulator and mobile robots.
Motion planning: path and trajectory planning with collision detection/avoidance.
Industrial robotics safety and ethical considerations.
Program
Week/Session Dates Description
1 9-15 March Prework (students are expected to go through the weekly UTSOnline
pre-work material before coming to class). This week the expected
prework is:
1. Revise any maths or Matlab code topics you may have forgotten.
Read, watch the introductions videos on UTSOnline and/or textbook
sections
2. Revise material on representing position and orientation and
describing an Arm
In class (class is a tutorial and lab-style interactive classroom). This
week's schedule is:
In-class:
Inverse kinematics and trajectories. Using the robot model, and desired
tool positions, determine the pose of the robot. Notice that solutions do
not include collision avoidance and so may collide with the environment.
In-class:
Stuvac 20-26 April Pre-work on UTSOnline: Velocity Relationships, motion control and
force considerations
Self-guided Exercises:
In-class:
In-class:
10 25-31 May Pre-work on UTSOnline: Watch and read about robots in society, the
workplace, home and battlefield, and consider the ethical implications.
In class:
In-class:
A1-A2 13-27 June Assessment task 4: Final Assignment is due in the assessment
period in a designated submission session.
Assessment
Assessment task 1: Review Quizzes
Intent: These quizzes are intended to check the understanding of the pre-work so that the labs will be
beneficial and everyone in the class is bringing knowledge which they can disseminate.
Objective(s): This assessment task addresses the following subject learning objectives (SLOs):
1, 4 and 5
This assessment task contributes to the development of the following Course Intended Learning
Outcomes (CILOs):
Type: Quiz/test
Groupwork: Individual
Weight: 20%
Task: Students will individually sit open-book quizzes every second week to test their understanding of
prework exercises and the material from previous lessons. Each student's instance of the quiz will be
unique but will assess the same base set of learning material as the rest of the class. Students are
required to resit the quiz in their own time as many times as is required in order to reach the
minimum benchmark score.
Criteria: Four (4) quizzes worth 5% each, totalling 20% of the subject mark.
Approximately 10 questions, generally everyone gets different values and question orders.
1. 1st attempt is alone, with no talking, early in the class (30minutes total) in tutorial/lab designated
sessions
2. 2nd attempt is later in the same class (20 minutes in total) in groups of 3 or less.
3. More attempts are not compulsory unless the benchmark has not been met. No score assigned
given to additional attempts. Can be done anytime 1 week after.
Marks will be 80% of the 5% for 1st individual attempt, 20% of the 5% for group attempt.
1. 4/10 on 1st attempt and 10/10 on 2nd (group) attempt. They will get 2.6% out of 5%. They do not
need to redo the quiz in their own time but they may do it if they wish.
2. 8/10 on 1st attempt and 9/10 on 2nd (group) attempt. They will get 4.1% out of 5%. They do not
need to redo the quiz in their own time but they may do it if they wish.
3. 4/10 on 1st attempt and 5/10 on 2nd (group) attempt. They will get 2.1% out of 5%.
Specific online formative feedback is returned immediately after quiz attempt is submitted.
Generalised feedback will be given in class to address common difficulties students had with the
questions.
The quiz is run in class with mobile phones, laptops, tablets or a lab PC.
Objective(s): This assessment task addresses the following subject learning objectives (SLOs):
1, 2, 3, 4 and 5
This assessment task contributes to the development of the following Course Intended Learning
Outcomes (CILOs):
Type: Laboratory/practical
Groupwork: Individual
Weight: 20%
Task: Students will model an industrial robot from CAD drawings, and investigate how and where to safely
mount the robot base. Students will then write software that simulates the demonstration of an
open-ended assembly task being performed, then present this demonstration to their peers and
assessors. Software should adhere to a given coding standard. Students then write a professional
report describing in detail their findings, and reflections.
Present the system including the safe guards that were engineered into the solution during the
submission day scheduled lab class.
Authentic assessment by each group (groups of 3 or less) will be given a different scenario that is
relevant challenges in robotics research and in industry right now e.g. in the home, in the office, in
the kitchen, in a construction site, on a bridge, in a rail maintenance yard, in a car assembly plant.
Each environment will have a similarly shaped object, that is application specific, which must be
avoided or interacted with.
Make the system do a specified task (given an obstacle/object of your choosing which is
programmed into the system).
Notes: Demonstration, technical, coding implementation, design and testing is done as a group and
marked by tutors. Uses Spark to self/group assess for group portion.
Note about demonstration mark: is marked subjectively by tutor 50% and by an average of all
members in other groups totalling 50%. Marks given for complexity and competency of task
11/04/2020 (Autumn 2020) © University of Technology Sydney Page 7 of 11
members in other groups totalling 50%. Marks given for complexity and competency of task
completion.
Objective(s): This assessment task addresses the following subject learning objectives (SLOs):
1, 2, 3, 4 and 5
This assessment task contributes to the development of the following Course Intended Learning
Outcomes (CILOs):
Type: Laboratory/practical
Weight: 45%
Task: In teams, students will investigate the possible application of a small-scale pick-and-place
manipulator, which can be affixed with a variety of grippers. Teams will consider a plausible
application for the robot - ideally something outside of a factory setting - and involve the novel
manipulation of everyday objects. There are likely to be possible collisions which the system must
intelligently avoid, necessitating the integration of automated safety routines. Also, sensor data
should feed real-time information into the system. A small robot manipulator and sensor system is
made available for students to test their designs on.
Students will be given 2 opportunities for feedback during this assignment: Weeks 7 (Team submits:
project title and description and online code repository versioning link), and week 9 (1 page progress
report summarising progress and Spark+ report on participation of other team member(s)). This
second stage will also allow for feedback from other team members.
Due: Video due Week 11: Friday at 21:00; Demonstration and Final Submission due Week 12, InClass;
Assessment task 4: Reflection on Societal Impact of Robotics and Robot / Environment Interaction
Modeling
Intent: To check that the mathematical modelling and software skills in the subject material has been
understood
To discuss and design safety into a system
To discuss the implications of robots on the workforce, industry and society
Objective(s): This assessment task addresses the following subject learning objectives (SLOs):
1, 2, 3, 4 and 5
This assessment task contributes to the development of the following Course Intended Learning
Outcomes (CILOs):
Type: Report
Groupwork: Individual
Weight: 15%
Minimum requirements
In order to pass the subject, a student must achieve an overall mark of 50% or more.
Required texts
Robotics, Vision and Control: Fundamental Algorithms in MATLAB (Springer Tracts in Advanced Robotics) 1st ed.
2011 Edition, by Peter Corke (Author). Soft copy is available for free at the UTS Library
https://link-springer-com.ezproxy.lib.uts.edu.au/book/10.1007%2F978-3-642-20144-8
Other resources
6-DoF Pose Localization in 3D Point-Cloud Dense Maps Using a Monocular Camera
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0O28HHFl4VU
How the kinect works https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uq9SEJxZiUg
Kinect fusion how it works https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zzb_RQWrt6I
ROS-I 3-Yrs. Montage https://youtu.be/xenFvis_iVc
Introduction to ROS and MoveIt! https://youtu.be/eMlGV94c5WU Good overview of traditional robots vs industrial.
Also ros montage with many robots
MoveIt! Montage 2013 https://youtu.be/dblCGZzeUqs
Blender for creating robot models: http://www.lynda.com/Blender-tutorials/Downloading-Blender/87088/95345-4.html
For the contribution of subjects taken in the Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) or Master of Professional Engineering
to the Engineers Australia Stage 1 Competencies, see the faculty's Graduate Attributes and the Engineers Australia
Stage 1 Competencies webpage.
Marking criteria for each assessment task will be available on the Learning Management System: UTS Online.
Extensions
When, due to extenuating circumstances, you are unable to submit or present an assessment task on time, please
contact your subject coordinator before the assessment task is due to discuss an extension. Extensions may be
granted up to a maximum of 5 days (120 hours). In all cases you should have extensions confirmed in writing.
Special consideration
If you believe your performance in an assessment item or exam has been adversely affected by circumstances
beyond your control, such as a serious illness, loss or bereavement, hardship, trauma, or exceptional employment
demands, you may be eligible to apply for Special Consideration.
Late penalty
Work submitted late without an approved extension is subject to a late penalty of 10 per cent of the total available
marks deducted per calendar day that the assessment is overdue (e.g. if an assignment is out of 40 marks, and is
submitted (up to) 24 hours after the deadline without an extension, the student will have four marks deducted from
For some assessment tasks a late penalty may not be appropriate – these are clearly indicated in the subject outline.
Such assessments receive a mark of zero if not completed by/on the specified date. Examples include:
a. weekly online tests or laboratory work worth a small proportion of the subject mark, or
b. online quizzes where answers are released to students on completion, or
c. professional assessment tasks, where the intention is to create an authentic assessment that has an absolute
submission date, or
d. take-home papers that are assessed during a defined time period, or
e. pass/fail assessment tasks.
Querying results
If you wish to query the result of an assessment task or the final result for a subject:
Assessment task: query the result with the Subject Coordinator within 5 working days of the date of release of the
result.
Final subject result: submit an application for review within 5 working days of the official release of the final subject
result.
ALOs are responsible for approving adjustments to assessment arrangements for students in these categories.
Students who require adjustments due to disability and/or an ongoing health condition are requested to discuss their
situation with an accessibility consultant at the Accessibility Service before speaking to the relevant ALO.
Statement on copyright
Teaching materials and resources provided to you at UTS are protected by copyright. You are not permitted to re-use
these for commercial purposes (including in kind benefit or gain) without permission of the copyright owner. Improper
or illegal use of teaching materials may lead to prosecution for copyright infringement.
Statement on plagiarism
Plagiarism and academic integrity
At UTS, plagiarism is defined in Rule 16.2.1(4) as: 'taking and using someone else's ideas or manner of expressing
them and passing them off as ... [their] own by failing to give appropriate acknowledgement of the source to seek to
gain an advantage by unfair means'.
The definition infers that if a source is appropriately referenced, the student's work will meet the required academic
standard. Plagiarism is a literary or an intellectual theft and is unacceptable both academically and professionally. It
can take a number of forms including but not limited to:
copying any section of text, no matter how brief, from a book, journal, article or other written source without duly
acknowledging the source
copying any map, diagram, table or figure without duly acknowledging the source
paraphrasing or otherwise using the ideas of another author without duly acknowledging the source
re-using sections of verbatim text without using quote marks to indicate the text was copied from the source (even if
a reference is given).
Other breaches of academic integrity that constitute cheating include but are not limited to:
submitting work that is not a student's own, copying from another student, recycling another student's work,
recycling previously submitted work, and working with another student in the same cohort in a manner that exceeds
the boundaries of legitimate cooperation
purchasing an assignment from a website and submitting it as original work
requesting or paying someone else to write original work, such as an assignment, essay or computer program, and
submitting it as original work.
Students who condone plagiarism and other breaches of academic integrity by allowing their work to be copied are
also subject to student misconduct Rules.
Where proven, plagiarism and other breaches of misconduct are penalised in accordance with UTS Student Rules
Section 16 – Student misconduct and appeals.
Avoiding plagiarism is one of the main reasons why the Faculty of Engineering and IT is insistent on the thorough and
appropriate referencing of all written work. Students may seek assistance regarding appropriate referencing through
UTS: HELPS.
Work submitted electronically may be subject to similarity detection software. Student work must be submitted in a
format able to be assessed by the software (e.g. doc, pdf (text files), rtf, html).