Introduction to Soft Robotics

Academic Study Board of the Faculty of Engineering

Teaching language: English
EKA: T550068102
Censorship: Second examiner: Internal
Grading: 7-point grading scale
Offered in: Odense
Offered in: Autumn
Level: Master

Course ID: T550068101
ECTS value: 5

Date of Approval: 23-04-2021


Duration: 1 semester

Version: Archive

Course ID

T550068101

Course Title

Introduction to Soft Robotics

ECTS value

5

Internal Course Code

RM-SR1

Responsible study board

Academic Study Board of the Faculty of Engineering

Date of Approval

23-04-2021

Course Responsible

Name Email Department
Dirk Kraft kraft@mmmi.sdu.dk Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller Instituttet
Kamilla Juel Sørensen kjs@tek.sdu.dk TEK Uddannelseskoordinering og -support, Det Tekniske Fakultet

Teachers

Name Email Department City
Ahmad Rafsanjani Abbasi ahra@mmmi.sdu.dk SDU Biorobotics, Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller Instituttet
Jonas Jørgensen jonj@mmmi.sdu.dk SDU Biorobotics, Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller Instituttet
Xiaofeng Xiong xizi@mmmi.sdu.dk SDU Biorobotics, Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller Instituttet

Programme Secretary

Name Email Department City
Danny Colmorten daco@tek.sdu.dk TEK Uddannelseskoordinering og -support, Det Tekniske Fakultet

Offered in

Odense

Level

Master

Offered in

Autumn

Duration

1 semester

Recommended prerequisites

The course materials are self-contained. However, it is recommended that the student has a general knowledge of mechanical design and experience with programming a microcontroller.

Learning objectives - Knowledge

Upon completion of this course successful students will be able to:

  • Summarize the working principles of soft robots and outline major innovations in the field of soft robotics.
  • Describe fundamental mechanisms of actuation, sensing, and control in the context of soft robotics systems and explain their advantages and limitations.
  • Identify different design and fabrication techniques and choose proper methods for constructing soft robots

Learning objectives - Skills

Upon completion of this course successful students will be able to:

  • Design, compose, construct, and evaluate soft robotics prototypes for specific tasks
  • Test and analyze the performance of soft robotic elements and interpret the results
  • Fabricate functioning soft robotic devices made of compliant materials.

Learning objectives - Competences

Upon completion of this course successful students will be able to:

  • Apply the methods of iterative, incremental development in the construction of a prototype.
  • Conceive an idea for a soft robotic prototype for a specific task or application and execute it, drawing on knowledge of existing work and techniques.
  • Develop novel soft robot designs, soft robotic components, or fabrication techniques

Content

This course is an interdisciplinary introduction to soft robotics and reviews recent works and research in this field. Soft robots are an emerging class of robots that take inspiration from natural organisms and deal with constructing robots from highly compliant materials to create soft machines that can adapt to a wide variety of tasks. The teaching encompasses theoretical and practical work on actuation and perception mechanisms, sensing technologies, control strategies, and design and fabrication techniques for soft robots. It also surveys several cases of implementing these elements in soft robotic systems. Alongside the theoretical, and methodological study, students will gain hands-on experience working with soft robotics through lab exercises and work on a final group project and build a soft robot prototype.

Topics that will be covered in this course include

  • Bioinspired soft robots
  • Engineering soft materials for soft robots
  • Principles of soft actuation mechanisms
  • Sensing technologies for sensorized soft robots
  • Control strategies for soft robots
  • Computational tools for modeling and simulation of soft robots
  • Design and fabrication techniques for soft robots
  • Selected applications of soft robots

URL for Skemaplan

Teaching Method

  • 1 weekly lecture and 4 hours of interactive lab tutorials (in total for 12 weeks)
  • Students should hand in assignments and prepare some presentations.
  • Students will work on an exam project in groups or individually under supervision of lecturers
  • Students should hand in a short report on the final project at the end of the course in a predefined format. For a group project, the final report can also be handed in as a group report.
  • Students should create a video on their project that will be exhibited at the end of the semester.

Number of lessons

48 hours per semester

Teaching language

English

Examination regulations

Exam regulations

Name

Exam regulations

Tests

Exam

EKA

T550068102

Name

Exam

Description

Individual exam based on course materials and the final project report. The final project and the short report will be part of the overall assessment towards the final grade.


Exam condition:

The mandatory exercises and the corresponding project reports must be handed in in time and in accordance with requirements specified at the beginning of the semester.

Form of examination

Oral examination

Censorship

Second examiner: Internal

Grading

7-point grading scale

Identification

Student Identification Card - Date of birth

Language

English

ECTS value

5

Additional information

Due to lab space constraints and materials budget the course is limited to an uptake of 30 students.

Participant limit

30

Courses offered

Offer period Offer type Profile Education Semester
Fall 2021 Optional Spiludvikling og læringsteknologi, kandidat 2021 Master of Science in Engineering (Game Development and Learning Technology) | Master of Science in Engineering (Game Development and Learning Technology) | Odense
Fall 2021 Optional Drones and Autonomous Systems (DAS) 2021 Master of Science in Engineering (Robot Systems) | Odense
Fall 2021 Optional Advanced Robotics Technology (ART) 2021 Master of Science in Engineering (Robot Systems) | Odense
Fall 2021 Optional Drones and Autonomous Systems (DAS) 2020 Master of Science in Engineering (Robot Systems) | Odense
Fall 2021 Optional Advanced Robotics Technology (ART) 2020 Master of Science in Engineering (Robot Systems) | Odense
Fall 2021 Optional Product Development and Innovation - enrollment spring 2021 (2021 will be the last year with spring intake) Master of Science in Engineering (Product Development and Innovation) | Odense
Fall 2021 Optional Product Development and Innovation - enrollment autumn 2021 Master of Science in Engineering (Product Development and Innovation) | Odense
Fall 2021 Optional Product Development and Innovation - enrollment autumn 2020 Master of Science in Engineering (Product Development and Innovation) | Odense
Fall 2021 Optional Product Development and Innovation - enrollment spring 2020 Master of Science in Engineering (Product Development and Innovation) | Odense
Fall 2021 Optional SundhedsIT 2020 Master of Science in Engineering (Health and Welfare Technology) | Odense
Fall 2021 Optional RoboMedic 2020 Master of Science in Engineering (Health and Welfare Technology) | Odense
Fall 2021 Optional SundhedsIT 2021 Master of Science in Engineering (Health Informatics and Technology) | Master of Science in Engineering (Health Informatics and Technology) | Odense
Fall 2021 Optional RoboMedic 2021 Master of Science in Engineering (Health Informatics and Technology) | Master of Science in Engineering (Health Informatics and Technology) | Odense
Fall 2021 Optional MSc in Robot Systems, 2021, Drones and Autonomous Systems (DAS) Master of Science in Engineering (Robot Systems) | Odense
Fall 2021 Optional MSc in Robot Systems, 2021, Advanced Robotics Technology (ART) Master of Science in Engineering (Robot Systems) | Odense

Studieforløb

Profile Education Semester Offer period