Duration of the online course: 21 hours and 37 minutes
4.5
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Build in-demand robotics skills with this free online course—master kinematics, dynamics and control to design stable, precise manipulators and biped systems.
In this free course, learn about
Robot coordinate frames, rotation matrices, and homogeneous transformations
Differential transformations and mapping small motions between coordinate frames
DH convention for assigning link/joint frames and building manipulator kinematic models
Forward (direct) kinematics for computing end-effector pose from joint variables
Inverse kinematics for solving joint variables from desired end-effector pose
Jacobian matrix for velocity/force mapping, singularities, and manipulability
Path vs trajectory concepts and basics of manipulator trajectory planning
Manipulator dynamics via Lagrangian/Euler-Lagrange for multi-DOF robots
Stability concepts for dynamical systems; autonomous vs non-autonomous behavior
Manipulator control models, including model-based control and simulation basics
Biped basics: flat/toe foot models and ZMP-based stability criteria
Neural networks in robotics and NN-based control for manipulators/exoskeletons
Redundancy resolution and manipulability analysis in human fingers/robot digits
Robot-assisted percutaneous interventions: control loops, smart needles, sliding mode control
About the free online course
Robots are no longer confined to factory floors. From precision manufacturing to rehabilitation devices and medical interventions, modern robotic systems depend on engineers who can translate motion goals into reliable, safe behavior. This free online course in Robotics and Control helps you build that engineering mindset by connecting core theory with practical modeling decisions used in real robot mechanisms.
You will learn to describe robot motion in a rigorous way using coordinate frames, homogeneous transformations, and rotation matrices—tools that make complex multi-joint systems manageable and programmable. As you progress, you will move from describing pose to understanding how small changes propagate through a mechanism, setting the stage for differential motion, Jacobians, and the relationship between joint space and end-effector behavior.
With the kinematic foundation in place, the course takes you into direct and inverse kinematics so you can compute what a robot is doing and what it must do to reach a desired position. That naturally leads to trajectory planning, where you focus on generating motions that are not just reachable, but smooth and feasible for actuators and sensors. You then go deeper into dynamics, using energy-based formulations and multi–degree-of-freedom modeling to connect masses, forces, and torques to motion.
Control is where these pieces become a working system. You will explore stability concepts and the structure of classical manipulator models, then extend to advanced strategies that appear in research and industry applications, including sliding mode and higher order approaches. The course also broadens your perspective beyond standard arms, touching on biped stability concepts, learning-based methods with neural networks, and redundancy resolution inspired by human fingers and cooperative manipulation.
To connect robotics with emerging applications, you will see how these ideas extend to exoskeletons, intent-driven assistance, and robot-assisted percutaneous interventions where precision and safety matter. By the end, you will have a cohesive understanding of how robotic mechanisms are modeled, analyzed, and controlled—valuable preparation for engineering roles, projects, or further study in mechanical and industrial robotics.
Course content
Video class: Promo: Robotics and Control: Theory and Practice02m
Exercise: Which topic is NOT covered in the first part of the 'Robotics and Control' course offered by IIT Roorkee?
Video class: Lecture 01: Introduction43m
Exercise: What is Denavit-Hartenberg (DH) Algorithm used for in robotics?
Video class: Lecture 02: Coordinate Frames and Homogeneous Transformations-I35m
Exercise: Which of the following is a correct statement about rotation matrices in the context of coordinate frames in robotics?
Video class: Lecture 03: Coordinate Frames and Homogeneous Frames-II31m
Exercise: What is a general rotation matrix used for?
Video class: Lecture 04: Differential Transformations34m
Exercise: What is the purpose of differential transformations in the context of coordinate frames in robotics?
Video class: Lecture 05: Transforming Differential Changes between Coordinate Frames30m
Exercise: What is the practical use of transforming differential changes between two coordinate frames?
Video class: Lecture 06: Kinematic Model for Robot Manipulator30m
Exercise: What is the main purpose of assigning coordinate frames at every joint of a robot manipulator?
Video class: Lecture 07: Direct Kinematics33m
Exercise: Which of the following are joint types in the robotic manipulator example discussed?
Video class: Lecture 08: Inverse Kinematics29m
Exercise: What is the result of dividing the r_3_2 term by the r_3_1 term in the kinematics equations for a 4-axis robot manipulator?
Video class: Lecture 09: Manipulator Jacobian25m
Exercise: What is the primary purpose of the Jacobian matrix in robot manipulators?
Video class: Lecture 10: Manipulator Jacobian Example25m
Exercise: Which joints are prismatic in the described robot manipulator?
Video class: Lecture 11: Trajectory Planning26m
Exercise: What is the key difference between a path and a trajectory in robot manipulators?
Video class: Lecture 12: Dynamics of Manipulator31m
Exercise: Which of the following best describes the Lagrangian (L) in the context of dynamics equations for robot manipulators?
Video class: Lecture 13: Dynamics of Manipulator (cont.)32m
Exercise: What equation is used to formulate the dynamics of a two-arm manipulator with uniformly distributed mass?
Video class: Lecture 14: Manipulator Dynamics Multiple Degree of Freedom31m
Exercise: What does the term 'n degree of freedom manipulator' refer to in robotic systems?
Video class: Lecture 15: Stability of Dynamical System40m
Exercise: What is NOT true about autonomous and non-autonomous systems?
Video class: Lecture 16: Manipulator Control34m
Exercise: Which equation represents the classical dynamical model of a robot manipulator?
Video class: Lecture 17: Biped Robot Basics and Flat Foot Biped Model34m
Exercise: What is the ZMP in relation to biped robots?
Video class: Lecture 18: Biped Robot Flat Foot and Toe Foot Model42m
Exercise: What is the importance of the Zero Moment Point (ZMP) in the context of biped robot stability?
Video class: Lecture 19: Artificial Neural Network34m
Exercise: What is a primary function of a neural network in robotics?
Video class: Lecture 20: Neural Network based control for Robot Manipulator38m
Exercise: Which statement about neural network-based controllers for robot manipulators is true?
Video class: Lecture 21: Redundancy Resolution of Human Fingers in Cooperative Object Translation-I31m
Video class: Lecture 22: Redundancy Resolution of Human Fingers in Cooperative Object Translation-II26m
Exercise: In cooperative object translation motion of the human fingers, what parameter did the research study find to vary both in sign and magnitude across different subjects?
Video class: Lecture 23: Fundamentals of Robot Manipulability26m
Video class: Lecture 24: Manipulability Analysis of Human Fingers in Cooperative Rotational Motion.28m
Exercise: What does the manipulability measure represent in the study of the human digits' manipulability analysis in cooperative rotational motion?
Video class: Lecture 25: Robotic Exoskeletons: An Introduction29m
Video class: Lecture 26: Introduction to Robotic Hand Exoskeleton34m
Exercise: What is the primary function of a hand exoskeleton?
Video class: Lecture 27: Design and Development of a Three Finger Exoskeleton32m
Video class: Lecture 28: Force Control of an Index Finger Exoskeleton30m
Exercise: Which kinematic model of a robotic system is specifically discussed in the lecture?
Video class: Lecture 29: Neural Control of a Hand Exoskeleton30m
Video class: Lecture 30: Neural Control of a Hand Exoskeleton Based on Human Subject Intention.27m
Exercise: What is the purpose of developing a learning scheme using surface EMG and EEG signals in the context of neural control for hand exoskeletons?
Video class: Lecture 31: Robot Assisted Percutaneous Interventions30m
Video class: Lecture 32: Experiments on Robot Assisted Percutaneous Interventions32m
Exercise: What are the three loops of control strategies discussed in the robot-assisted needling system?
Video class: Lecture 33: Sliding Mode Control28m
Video class: Lecture 34: Higher Order Sliding Mode Control35m
Exercise: What is the primary objective of the higher order sliding mode control in percutaneous interventions using a bevel tip needle?
Video class: Lecture 36: Smart Needles for Percutaneous Interventions-II28m
Video class: Lecture 35: Smart Needles for Percutaneous Interventions-I30m
Exercise: Which component is NOT typically used as an actuator in smart needles?
Video class: Lecture 37: Flexible Link Kinematics-I36m
Video class: Lecture 38: Flexible Link Kinematics-II36m
Exercise: Which of the following boundary condition combinations corresponds to Case 3 for a 2-link planar flexible manipulator as described in the lecture?
Video class: Lecture 39: Model Based Control of Robot Manipulator33m
Video class: Lecture 40: Simulation of Robot Manipulators39m
Exercise: Which of the following is a primary sub task of a redundant manipulator in the context of inverse kinematics?
