Begin Robotics

Robots today are roving Mars, hoovering our floors, building cars and entertaining us in films. You may even share Stephen Hawking’s world view that super-intelligent ones may one day bring about the end of the human race.

But what forms do robots take today? How do they achieve particular tasks? And how is our relationship with them evolving? In this introduction to robotics course, you’ll explore answers to these questions and more.

If you’d like to find out more but don’t have Hawking’s brain or an advanced qualification in cybernetics, this course is for you. You won’t require a soldering iron, but you’ll explore the key components of robot design, control and behaviour through a series of simulations that will have you test driving an ERIC – our very own University of Reading mobile robot. You’ll command ERIC to explore its environment avoiding obstacles, follow a line, and act like a Braitenberg vehicle.