Robotics 311: How to Build Robots and Make Them Move

ROB 311 is an undergraduate robotics course at the University of Michigan that introduces the fundamentals of mechanical design, control, fabrication, actuation, instrumentation, and computer interfaces required to realize robotic systems. Students will learn to analyze/simulate rigid body kinematics, kinetics, and dynamics, as well as assess the impedance properties of their designs.

This first iteration was offered in Fall 2022. The course is based around building a ballbot, which balances on a basketball to move around.

Lectures

All lecture videos are available on YouTube: ROB 311 Fall 2022 Playlist

If a lecture features additional files, those are located in lecture files.

Labs and hardware

Labs are based around the design and build of the ballbot, requiring certain hardware and access to machines, including 3D printer, laser cutter, and water jet.

The parts list:

• Raspberry Pi Pico
• BlinkM led
• 3 Pololu 37D gearmotors
• 3 motor couplers
• acrylic sheets
• velcro strips
• 6 omni wheel halves
• 2 wired mouse
• basketball

Note lab 1, a primer on soldering, is not included in this repository, and lab 5 is skipped.

Course Plan

Credits

• Elliott Rouse, Associate Professor, U-M
• Yves Nazon
• Senthur Ayyappan

For more

• University of Michigan Robotics
• Michigan Robotics Twitter
• Michigan Robotics Instagram
• Michigan Robotics LinkedIn