Course Preview | Robotics Essentials from MIT xPRO
3:17 min
30
Welcome to the course. I hope you're ready to get started. Let's begin by running through what you can expect over this course, over the next few weeks. So, first of all, let's talk about where we're going. Robotics is a vast and growing field with diverse applications already being realized and others to come. In this course, we aim to introduce you to the myriad considerations a roboticist would need to keep in mind when introducing robotics into a new area. We also want to give you a taste of being a roboticist, identifying and formalizing problems, working through algorithms, seeing results in simulation, and iterating to improve performance.
This course is separated into nine modules, and that will allow us to address these goals with you, over the next nine weeks. The first of our nine modules, explores the role of robotics in society, discusses driving factors, and societal implications for their integration. The second module transitions the course to its technological focus, exploring robotics as a field that exists, where a variety of related technological areas intersect. In the next six modules, you'll take a deeper dive into several of these technical areas which include perception, decision making, path planning, control, real-time systems and human-robot interaction.
Finally, our last module wraps up the course by discussing pressing issues in robotics today, and where we may see it go tomorrow. Through this course, everyone will gain insight into the elements needed to make a robotic system work and how they'll fit together. Let's keep in mind though that, this course cannot make you an expert in all areas of robotics. Many of the topics we introduce in this course, generally take an entire semester class, or even a PhD thesis to fully explore. Instead, this course will give you an introduction to what's possible, and what's hard, what questions to ask, and where to ask them.
We want to give you the foundational understanding and language for communicating with experts in the field, so that you can continue to grow your skills if you choose. So, now that we know where we're going, let's look through the details of how we'll get there. In each module, you'll view instructional videos and participate in activities, to expand upon or reinforce the content. These activities will include interactive explorations, knowledge checks, discussions with your peers, and summarizing your key takeaways. Finally, there will be a few extensions where if you choose, you will have a chance to dig deeper into the research or mathematical theory that really makes robotics work.
So, as you move through the course, there are a few things to keep in mind. Yours is a global cohort from a wide variety of cultural and professional backgrounds, we hope you'll use the program as an opportunity to compare notes, and expand your network. This program includes 24-hour support for technical issues, through programs support, and learning facilitators with experience in robotics will respond to content inquiries, and host office hours to further your learning. Do take advantage of these. I hope you're ready for an exciting nine weeks of learning. Let's get started.
This course is separated into nine modules, and that will allow us to address these goals with you, over the next nine weeks. The first of our nine modules, explores the role of robotics in society, discusses driving factors, and societal implications for their integration. The second module transitions the course to its technological focus, exploring robotics as a field that exists, where a variety of related technological areas intersect. In the next six modules, you'll take a deeper dive into several of these technical areas which include perception, decision making, path planning, control, real-time systems and human-robot interaction.
Finally, our last module wraps up the course by discussing pressing issues in robotics today, and where we may see it go tomorrow. Through this course, everyone will gain insight into the elements needed to make a robotic system work and how they'll fit together. Let's keep in mind though that, this course cannot make you an expert in all areas of robotics. Many of the topics we introduce in this course, generally take an entire semester class, or even a PhD thesis to fully explore. Instead, this course will give you an introduction to what's possible, and what's hard, what questions to ask, and where to ask them.
We want to give you the foundational understanding and language for communicating with experts in the field, so that you can continue to grow your skills if you choose. So, now that we know where we're going, let's look through the details of how we'll get there. In each module, you'll view instructional videos and participate in activities, to expand upon or reinforce the content. These activities will include interactive explorations, knowledge checks, discussions with your peers, and summarizing your key takeaways. Finally, there will be a few extensions where if you choose, you will have a chance to dig deeper into the research or mathematical theory that really makes robotics work.
So, as you move through the course, there are a few things to keep in mind. Yours is a global cohort from a wide variety of cultural and professional backgrounds, we hope you'll use the program as an opportunity to compare notes, and expand your network. This program includes 24-hour support for technical issues, through programs support, and learning facilitators with experience in robotics will respond to content inquiries, and host office hours to further your learning. Do take advantage of these. I hope you're ready for an exciting nine weeks of learning. Let's get started.
