TELEVISION

Robotics

Series: Great Courses
4.3
(35)
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Episodes
24
Rating
TVPG
Year
2015
Language
English
Publisher
The Great Courses

About

Robots. The mere word conjures up a bevy of mind-bending images pulled straight from popular science fiction. But robots aren't just the stuff of entertainment. They're real. They're everywhere around you. Yet for all their seen (and unseen) prevalence, robotics remains mysterious to most of us. In these episodes, take a journey that will demystify the world of robots and provide a comprehensive introduction to these intelligent machines.

Related Subjects

Episodes

1 to 3 of 24

1. The Arrival of Robot Autonomy

30m

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Plunge into the world of robots with this engaging introduction. When did we start thinking about robots? What three components are responsible for so many advances in robot design? Why is behavioral autonomy so essential to the development of modern robotics?

2. Robot Bodies and Trade-Offs

30m

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Why just watch robots when you can understand how they actually work? Deconstruct a Roomba to learn the five functional categories of parts all robots need. Then, explore a universal lesson about robotics: because robots can't do everything well, trade-offs (such as simplicity versus maneuverability) are always involved.

3. Robot Actuators and Movement

30m

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Investigate robot actuators: the motors and transmissions that underlie all robotic movement. You'll learn about the early use of springs as motors in automata; how electricity spins the magnets that make motors move; how movement defines what a robot is; and different types of motors (including DC and servo motors).

4. Robot Sensors and Simple Communication

30m

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Intelligent behavior in robots is rooted in the sensors that determine how much robots know about the world around them. Professor Long demonstrates how sensors work to communicate across the electromagnetic spectrum, including through infrared (like in Roombas) and visible light (for underwater robots that communicate using flashing blue lights).

5. Robot Controllers and Programming

30m

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What turns a remotely controlled machine into an autonomous robot? Self-control. So where does self-control in robots come from? Find out in this lecture on robot controllers: the computer-like part of robots that uses sensory information to decide how the robot should achieve its immediate and long-term goals.

6. Human-Inspired Robot Planning

30m

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In robotics, the most important problem mobile robots must solve is how to navigate, or move with purpose, in the world. Here, learn how simultaneous localization and mapping (using internal models, beacons, and dead reckoning navigation) is the key to a robot's autonomy in both structured and exploratory situations.

Extended Details

  • Closed CaptionsEnglish