Robotics 311: Annual Ball-Bot Competition
Julian Skifstad, an undergraduate in Robotics, picks up his Ball-Bot by its “leash” as he leans in to type a few final instructions into his laptop during the ROB 311 annual Ball-Bot competition in the atrium of the Ford Motor Company Robotics Building on North Campus at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, on Wednesday, December 6, 2023.
The course, How to Build Robots and Make Them Move (ROB 311), focuses on the basic principles of mechanical design, control, fabrication, actuation, instrumentation, and the necessary computer interfaces for executing robotic systems. Students are taught to analyze and simulate rigid body kinematics, kinetics, and dynamics and also evaluate the impedance properties of their designs. Not only are theoretical concepts stressed, but 'hands-on' skills are equally emphasized. The course culminates in a four-part competition that tests the students and their designs requiring a variety of movements and in different environments.
Photo: Brenda Ahearn/University of Michigan, College of Engineering, Communications and Marketing
Robotics 311: Annual Ball-Bot Competition
Julian Skifstad, an undergraduate in Robotics, picks up his Ball-Bot by its “leash” as he leans in to type a few final instructions into his laptop during the ROB 311 annual Ball-Bot competition in the atrium of the Ford Motor Company Robotics Building on North Campus at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, on Wednesday, December 6, 2023.
The course, How to Build Robots and Make Them Move (ROB 311), focuses on the basic principles of mechanical design, control, fabrication, actuation, instrumentation, and the necessary computer interfaces for executing robotic systems. Students are taught to analyze and simulate rigid body kinematics, kinetics, and dynamics and also evaluate the impedance properties of their designs. Not only are theoretical concepts stressed, but 'hands-on' skills are equally emphasized. The course culminates in a four-part competition that tests the students and their designs requiring a variety of movements and in different environments.
Photo: Brenda Ahearn/University of Michigan, College of Engineering, Communications and Marketing