Robotic Movement and Math.

Yesterday, I finished a class I signed up for on Future Learn.  Future Learn is a site filled with free classes that range from two weeks to eight weeks long.  I tried taking two other classes but life interfered and I was unable to finish it before the time limit hit.  I could have paid a bit of money to get unlimited access to the class as long as it exists on this site but I chose not to.

I will try those classes again in the future but maybe in August of next year.  I just finished a two week short class on teaching students with complex trauma which is a great introduction to the topic.  Today as soon as I finished it, I found another class I want to work on over the next three weeks.

It is a short class - Introducing Robotics - Making Robots Move a class designed to look at the geometry and vectors involved in making robots move along with describing where the robot's position in using position, rotation, translation and orientation.  It looks at forward and backward kinamatics, movement in two dimensions and a touch of movement in three dimensions.

In the process of robotic movement, you have to be aware mathematically of the objects that robots move, along with their position and orientation.  Furthermore, describe the mathematical relationship between the robotic joints and the tool position.

The classes are set up so you can just follow along but if you want to complete all the exercises you are given access to MATLAB via Future Learn.  I've never used MATLAB so I will be learning a new technology.  In addition, I'll learn more about applying mathematics in the form of geometry and vectors in a real world situation. 

This class does require you to be up on analytic geometry and linear algebra including points, vectors, matrices, matrix-vector, matrix-matrix-multiplication, and linear transformations.  I'm up to date on the first but a bit rusty on the second half as I don't usually teach matrices unless I've got students who are that far along. 

This will give me the carrot to wave in front of my more capable students who need a bit of a challenge and need to see the math in a real life situation so they can see the connection between the theoretical and the application of the concept.  I'll keep you posted on this class as I work my way though it.  There are a couple more robotics classes I've seen but I'll wait to share those with you as I enroll in them. 

If this goes well, I might even set up a class within my regular class to have students sign up and work their way through the material rather than have me try to teach it because it will prepare them better for taking distance classes in real life.  So many possibilities.

Let me know what you think.  I'd love to hear.