The application of control using a microcontroller
Sensor interfacing and signal conditioning.
Analogue to digital interfacing and memory mapped input/output
Pulse width modulation for use as a control method
Control of radio control motors
Gears
An introduction to computer vision techniques. (image representation, grey level transform (thresholding), filtering.
Robotics for entertainment.

50% by exam (2 hours) (Learning outcomes 2 and 3)
50% by an assignment (1500 words) on an application of a controller, actuator and sensor to realise the solution to a specific problem. (Learning outcomes 1and 2)

Practical laboratory sessions (2 hours per week) will be complemented with theory in the form of handouts, recommended reading and tutorials (1 hour per week). (1:n)1 (1:20)2

None

Low.A, Introductory computer vision and image processing, London : McGraw-Hill (1991), ISBN/ISSN: 0077074033

Gonzalez.R, Woods.R, Digital Image Processing, Addison Wesley, (2002), ISBN: 0130946508

Niku.S, Introduction to robotics : analysis, systems, applications, Upper Saddle River, N.J. : Prentice Hall (2001), ISBN/ISSN: 0130613096

Pugh.A, Robot sensors, IFS (1986), ISBN/ISSN: 0948507020

PC, control software, interface cards, microcontroller programmer, servo motors, oscilloscopes, digital storage oscilloscopes, digital multimeters, power supplies, signal generators, etc. Laboratory vision equipment and MATLAB processing software.
Library resources (books on robotics, several robotics journals accessible online, full IEEExplore access to academic papers, and various magazines)