This course is part of the Robotics Specialization

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2,936 ratings

Vijay Kumar

125,874 already enrolled

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Robotics SpecializationUniversity of Pennsylvania

About this Course

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How can we create agile micro aerial vehicles that are able to operate autonomously in cluttered indoor and outdoor environments?  You will gain an introduction to the mechanics of flight and the design of quadrotor flying robots and will be able to develop dynamic models, derive controllers, and synthesize planners for operating in three dimensional environments.  You will be exposed to the challenges of using noisy sensors for localization and maneuvering in complex, three-dimensional environments.  Finally, you will gain insights through seeing real world examples of the possible applications and challenges for the rapidly-growing drone industry.
Mathematical prerequisites: Students taking this course are expected to have some familiarity with linear algebra, single variable calculus, and differential equations.

Programming prerequisites: Some experience programming with MATLAB or Octave is recommended (we will use MATLAB in this course.) MATLAB will require the use of a 64-bit computer.

Flexible deadlines

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Coursera Labs

Includes hands on learning projects.

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Course 1 of 6 in the

Robotics Specialization

Approx. 17 hours to complete

English

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Skills you will gain

Motion Planning
Robotics
Quadcoper
Matlab

Flexible deadlines

Reset deadlines in accordance to your schedule.

Shareable Certificate

Earn a Certificate upon completion

100% online

Start instantly and learn at your own schedule.

Coursera Labs

Includes hands on learning projects.

Learn more about Coursera Labs

Course 1 of 6 in the

Robotics Specialization

Approx. 17 hours to complete

English

Could your company benefit from training employees on in-demand skills?

Try Coursera for Business

Instructor

Instructor rating

4.58/5 (303 Ratings)

Vijay Kumar

Nemirovsky Family Dean of Penn Engineering and Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Applied Mechanics

School of Engineering and Applied Science

125,963 Learners

2 Courses

Offered by

University of Pennsylvania

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Syllabus - What you will learn from this course

Content Rating89%(10,991 ratings)

Week1

Week 1

3 hours to complete

Introduction to Aerial Robotics

Welcome to Week 1! In this week, you will be introduced to the exciting field of Unmanned Aerial Robotics (UAVs) and quadrotors in particular. You will learn about their basic mechanics and control strategies and realize how careful component selection and design affect the vehicles' performance. This week also provides you with instructions on how to download and install Matlab. This software will be used throughout this course in exercises and assignments, so it is strongly recommended to familiarize yourself with Matlab soon. Tutorials to help you get started are also provided in this week.

3 hours to complete

16 videos (Total 74 min), 4 readings, 2 quizzes

16 videos

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles7mQuadrotors3mKey Components of Autonomous Flight1mState Estimation7mApplications3mMeet the TAs52sBasic Mechanics4mDynamics and 1-D Linear Control10mDesign Considerations3mDesign Considerations (continued)4mAgility and Maneuverability7mComponent Selection4mEffects of Size4mSupplementary Material: Introduction3mSupplementary Material: Dynamical Systems3mSupplementary Material: Rates of Convergence3m

4 readings

Setting up your Matlab programming environment10mMatlab Tutorials - Introduction to the Matlab Environment10mMatlab Tutorials - Programming Basics10mMatlab Tutorials - Advanced Tools10m

2 practice exercises

1.130m1.230m

Week2

Week 2

5 hours to complete

Geometry and Mechanics

Welcome to Week 2 of the Robotics: Aerial Robotics course! We hope you are having a good time and learning a lot already! In this week, we will first focus on the kinematics of quadrotors. Then, you will learn how to derive the dynamic equations of motion for quadrotors. To build a better understanding on these notions, some essential mathematical tools are discussed in supplementary material lectures. In this week, you will also complete your first programming assignment on 1-D quadrotor control. If you have not done so already, please download, install, and learn about Matlab before starting the assignment.

5 hours to complete

19 videos (Total 117 min)

19 videos

Transformations16mRotations4mEuler Angles12mAxis/Angle Representations for Rotations14mAngular Velocity9mSupplementary Material: Rigid-Body Displacements6mSupplementary Material: Properties of Functions3mSupplementary Material: Symbolic Calculations in Matlab4mSupplementary Material: The atan2 Function2mSupplementary Material: Eigenvalues and Eigenvectors of Matrices5mSupplementary Material: Quaternions2mSupplementary Material: Matrix Derivative1mSupplementary Material: Skew-Symmetric Matrices and the Hat Operator4mFormulation3mNewton-Euler Equations6mPrincipal Axes and Principal Moments of Inertia6mQuadrotor Equations of Motion5mSupplementary Material: State-Space Form4mSupplementary Material: Getting Started With the First Programming Assignment3m

1 practice exercise

2.130m

Week3

Week 3

5 hours to complete

Planning and Control

Welcome to Week 3! We have developed planar and three-dimensional dynamic models of the quadrotor. This week, you will learn more about how to develop linear controllers for these models. With this knowledge, you will be required to complete the second programming assignment of this course, which focuses on controlling the quadrotor in two dimensions. We encourage you to start working on the assignment soon. This week ends with a discussion on motion planning for quadrotors.

5 hours to complete

9 videos (Total 65 min)

9 videos

2-D Quadrotor Control8m3-D Quadrotor Control7mTime, Motion, and Trajectories9mTime, Motion, and Trajectories (continued)9mMotion Planning for Quadrotors12mSupplementary Material: Minimum Velocity Trajectories from the Euler-Lagrange Equations2mSupplementary Material: Solving for Coefficients of Minimum Jerk Trajectories5mSupplementary Material: Minimum Velocity Trajectories3mSupplementary Material: Linearization of Quadrotor Equations of Motion5m

1 practice exercise

330m

Week4

Week 4

5 hours to complete

Advanced Topics

Welcome to Week 4! So far, we have gone over the basics of developing linear controllers for quadrotors and motion planning. In this last week of the course, we will discuss some more advanced material on how to enable quadrotors to perform more agile maneuvers and to operate autonomously in teams. Note that the last programming assignment on quadrotor control in three dimensions uses material from the previous weeks. It is strongly recommended to start the assignment as soon as possible.

5 hours to complete

5 videos (Total 68 min)

Reviews

4.5

739 reviews

5 stars
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2 stars
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1 star
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TOP REVIEWS FROM ROBOTICS: AERIAL ROBOTICS

by MBFeb 18, 2016

I liked the course and the assignments. I felt that the assignments covered materials which weren't part of the course or not explained well enough. I managed to get through them, but it felt lacking.

by PBMay 18, 2022

One of the best online courses on robotics. Calm and composed ,and effective delivery. I also found the suplementary material to be particularly helpful.Kudos to the instructors.

by STJun 8, 2018

I think this is very good course of aerial robotics research. Being a student of robotics, I feel that some of stuffs in this course needs a good background in control and mechanical engineering.

by NLAug 8, 2016

Very well designed course. Enough material is covered and the exercises are very well designed and meaningful. It's a rewarding experience. It worths every minute you spend on it.

View all reviews

About the Robotics Specialization

The Introduction to Robotics Specialization introduces you to the concepts of robot flight and movement, how robots perceive their environment, and how they adjust their movements to avoid obstacles, navigate difficult terrains and accomplish complex tasks such as construction and disaster recovery. You will be exposed to real world examples of how robots have been applied in disaster situations, how they have made advances in human health care and what their future capabilities will be. The courses build towards a capstone in which you will learn how to program a robot to perform a variety of movements such as flying and grasping objects.

Frequently Asked Questions

When will I have access to the lectures and assignments?
Access to lectures and assignments depends on your type of enrollment. If you take a course in audit mode, you will be able to see most course materials for free. To access graded assignments and to earn a Certificate, you will need to purchase the Certificate experience, during or after your audit. If you don't see the audit option:
The course may not offer an audit option. You can try a Free Trial instead, or apply for Financial Aid.
The course may offer 'Full Course, No Certificate' instead. This option lets you see all course materials, submit required assessments, and get a final grade. This also means that you will not be able to purchase a Certificate experience.
What will I get if I subscribe to this Specialization?
When you enroll in the course, you get access to all of the courses in the Specialization, and you earn a certificate when you complete the work. Your electronic Certificate will be added to your Accomplishments page - from there, you can print your Certificate or add it to your LinkedIn profile. If you only want to read and view the course content, you can audit the course for free.
Is financial aid available?
Yes. In select learning programs, you can apply for financial aid or a scholarship if you can’t afford the enrollment fee. If fin aid or scholarship is available for your learning program selection, you’ll find a link to apply on the description page.

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Robotics: Aerial Robotics

About this Course

Skills you will gain