Robotics Course: Fundamentals to Advanced Concepts | Prof. Ashitava Ghosal
Course Details
| Exam Registration | 726 |
|---|---|
| Course Status | Ongoing |
| Course Type | Elective |
| Language | English |
| Duration | 12 weeks |
| Categories | Mechanical Engineering, Manufacturing Processes and Technology, Product Design |
| Credit Points | 3 |
| Level | Undergraduate/Postgraduate |
| Start Date | 19 Jan 2026 |
| End Date | 10 Apr 2026 |
| Enrollment Ends | 02 Feb 2026 |
| Exam Registration Ends | 20 Feb 2026 |
| Exam Date | 18 Apr 2026 IST |
| NCrF Level | 4.5 — 8.0 |
Robotics: A Journey from Fundamentals to Advanced Applications
Welcome to a detailed exploration of the course Robotics: Basics and Selected Advanced Concepts. This 12-week program, meticulously designed and instructed by Prof. Ashitava Ghosal, offers a profound dive into the world of robotics, blending rigorous theory with practical insights drawn from cutting-edge research.
About the Instructor: Prof. Ashitava Ghosal
Prof. Ashitava Ghosal brings unparalleled expertise to this course. Currently a Professor at Ahmedabad University, he recently held the prestigious Prof. Satish Dhawan Chair at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore. His academic journey includes a PhD from Stanford University and a strong foundation from IIT Kanpur and the University of Florida.
His contributions to robotics are substantial:
- Author of the widely adopted textbook Robotics: Fundamental Concepts and Analysis (Oxford University Press, 2006).
- Supervised 17 PhDs and over 70 Masters students.
- Published 83 journal papers and holds 5 patents.
- Elected Fellow of the Indian National Academy of Engineering (2010).
- Active editorial roles in top international journals like Mechanism and Machine Theory.
This course is a direct conduit to the knowledge of a leading authority in the field.
Course Overview and Objectives
This course provides a unified and comprehensive treatment of robot modeling, analysis, and control. It is structured to take you from the core principles that govern all robotic manipulators to specialized advanced concepts shaping the future of the field.
The pedagogy emphasizes a hands-on approach, drawing heavily on experiments and hardware developed by research students at IISc. Participants are encouraged to engage with software simulations and hardware experiments to solidify their understanding.
Who Should Enroll?
- Primary Audience: Master’s and PhD students in Mechanical, Electrical, and Computer Science engineering.
- Secondary Audience: Undergraduate students taking Robotics as an elective.
- Prerequisites: Undergraduate-level mathematics, linear algebra, mechanics, and programming knowledge.
Detailed 12-Week Course Layout
| Week | Topics Covered |
|---|---|
| Week 1 | Introduction, Key Elements and Constituents of a Robot |
| Week 2 | Mathematical Preliminaries, Denavit-Hartenberg (D-H) Convention |
| Week 3 | Direct & Inverse Kinematics of Serial Robots, Workspace Analysis |
| Week 4 | Parallel Robots – Kinematics, Mobility, Stewart-Gough Platform |
| Week 5 | Applications: Sun Tracking, Vibration Isolation using Parallel Robots |
| Week 6 | Velocity Analysis, Jacobian, Singularities in Serial & Parallel Robots |
| Week 7 | Redundancy in Robots and its Resolution |
| Week 8 | Dynamic Equations of Motion (Lagrangian Formulation), Simulation with MATLAB |
| Week 9 | Motion Planning, Introduction to Linear Control (Simulations & Expts.) |
| Week 10 | Nonlinear Position and Force Control of Robots |
| Week 11 | Modeling and Analysis of Wheeled Mobile Robots |
| Week 12 | Advanced Topics: Over-constrained/Deployable Structures, Cable-driven & Pneumatic Flexible Robots |
Key Learning Outcomes
By the end of this course, you will be able to:
- Model serial, parallel, and hybrid manipulators using the standard D-H convention.
- Solve direct and inverse kinematics problems and understand robot workspace.
- Perform velocity and singularity analysis using the Jacobian matrix.
- Derive equations of motion for robotic systems and simulate them.
- Understand and implement basic linear and advanced model-based control strategies.
- Grasp advanced concepts in mobile robotics, deployable structures, and novel actuation methods.
Industry Relevance and Support
The skills taught in this course are in high demand across major industries and government research organizations, including:
- Automotive: Ashok Leyland, TATA Motors, General Motors (GM)
- Technology & Manufacturing: GE, TAL
- Aerospace & Defense: ISAC-ISRO (Bangalore), BARC (Mumbai), CAIR-DRDO (Bangalore)
Recommended Text and Resources
The primary textbook for the course is Prof. Ghosal's own authoritative work: Robotics: Fundamental Concepts and Analysis (Oxford University Press, 2006). The curriculum is also supplemented with insights from recent research papers, ensuring exposure to the state-of-the-art.
This course is more than just a series of lectures; it is a masterclass in robotic systems engineering, designed to equip the next generation of engineers and researchers with the tools to innovate and lead in the rapidly evolving field of robotics.
Enroll Now →