ENGG * 4460 – Robotic Systems F (3-3) [0.50]

This course is generally pretty do-able until the final exam. Took it in F16 with Moussa. Course starts out as pretty easy matrix math. Do not take this course if you hate matrix math since 80% of it is matrix math (all tests and quizzes) and 20% is labs (programming/manipulating robots). The quizzes are generally pretty easy with a high class average. The quizzes and tutorials are on material from like 2 or 3 weeks previous so it can get a bit confusing at times. Midterm had a high average as well - look for old sample midterms. Tutorials are useful to learn concepts, TAs are generally good in tutorial but not great over email. For example I emailed them about a mistake i found in the tutorial, they admitted I was correct but never changed the solutions. Lectures are not the best unless he does examples - he just kind of yells at the class and expects us to know all the math behind the calculations. Lecture notes are not great and he needs to do more examples. Even then some of the examples are confusing, I\'d recommend looking over all of them in the textbook. Go to class/tutorials, because his lecture slides alone are not nearly enough. The labs are ok and kind of cool, however it seemed there was more time setting up and troubleshooting robots than actual development time. Programming in python, visual basic, as well as using controller for each arm axis. The tasks are simple but kind of annoying, not very industrial related at all, more like fun and games like bowling and golf. One of the robots broke so we only had to do best 3/4 robots for marks. The robots interact with objects that can freely move around the lab so they end up all over the place, you pretty much have to draw on the objects to mark exactly where things will be picked up or grabbed etc. Labs generally marked very easy as a mark booster. Majority of the class had already passed the course by the time they get to the final which is good since the final is really challenging! The final featured questions which we had never seen before. Seemed like the material they gave us to study for the final wasn\'t nearly enough. They didnt even do a tutorial on dynamics which was the emphasis of the final exam and the challenging final unit taught in class. Was hoping for more robtotic programming but its pretty much all math. This is all from the perspective of an ES&C major, i feel like the mechanicals were way better off for all course content besides programming. An easy pass but no guarantee of a good mark due to the final!