An interdisciplinary MIT course : designing robots that interact with the physical world

Abstract

The objective of this thesis was to help develop an interdisciplinary course in robotic design at MIT. The course is a comprehensive study of applied robotics that gives students the chance to put their theoretical knowledge to practical use. The course heavily emphasizes hands-on work, and lab work comprises most of the material in the class. This thesis discusses some of the work that goes in to planning and organizing such a class. Contributions to the class detailed in this thesis include design of various hardware used by the students over the first term. Additionally, detailed responsibilities included fabrication of most of the parts used by the students, and various administrative tasks such as inventory.