ME 5390 – MAE 4301- SUMMER 2014
Instructor: Dr. P. S. Shiakolas
Office: 315 D Woolf Hall, Phone: (817) 272-5715 Email: shiakolas@uta.edu
Course Web Page: TBA Blackboard and mae4310 (check regularly for announcements)
Office Hours: By appointment
GTA: TBA Office: Office Hours:
Prerequisites: MAE 4345 and/or ME 5337 or equivalent or consent of instructor
Text: No official text but information and/or links to the Web and other resources will be provided
Lab Access: To be discussed in class
Description of Course Content: Review of Robotics theory, Use of Computer tools to simulate the performance of robotic devices and/or manufacturing lines, Design and fabrication of specialized grippers and Interface with industrial robots, Extensive programming of industrial robotic cells in the laboratory. Note that this is a project intensive class.
Think safety first!
Before you power on any robot you need to understand and diligently observe the safety rules.
Never power on a robot when you are alone in the lab.
Grading Policy – Expectations – Course Logistics
Assume no collaboration is allowed unless expressed permission is obtained from the instructor.
Anyone collaborating on an exam will be given a failing grade in the course.
Anyone intentionally damaging equipment will be given a failing grade in the course.
Anyone not following the safety rules will be given a failing grade in the course.
Homework (2.0 pts each): The purpose of the homework is to provide practice exercises that apply the theory and concepts presented in class in order to identify and improve on any deficiencies that might exist. It could be either analytical and/or computational.
Projects (10 pts each – anticipate 4 to 6 projects): There will be two types of projects in this class; projects for which you will be required to apply computational techniques using CAD and/or numerical analysis software tools and projects for which you will have to learn and program the robotic manufacturing cells in the laboratory. A final presentation on the projects by each student will take place the last week of the semester. Note that a passing grade in the class cannot be obtained unless all projects are completed with a grade of B or better.
Semester Exam (15 pts): The semester exam will be comprehensive and may consist of two parts (an analytical and a computational). Note that part of or the whole exam may be take-home. The time of the exam will be announced later and will not necessarily last the whole class time.
Final Exam (25 pts): The final exam will be comprehensive and may consist of two parts; an analytical and a computational. The exam might take place the last week of the semester (you will have at least one week notice); if it does not take place during the last week, it will be given at the university scheduled time. It is your responsibility to find and know this information. If there will be a computational part, it could be given the last week of classes.
Makeup Exam: No makeup exams will be given unless I am notified in advance and approve of it. If you miss a semester exam due to approved reason, there will be only one comprehensive (all material covered) makeup exam the last week of the semester. There will be no makeup for the final exam except in extreme circumstances.
Attendance Policy: It is your responsibility to attend the lectures, participate in class discussion and keep up-to-date with the course material. I do not re-teach missed lecture material during office hours. If you are habitually late, you will not be allowed in the classroom as this is disruptive to the other students.
Expectations for Out-of-Class Study: Beyond the time required to attend each class meeting, students enrolled in this course should expect to spend at least an additional 10 – 12 hours per week of their own time in course-related activities, including reading required materials, completing assignments, preparing for exams, completing the projects, etc.
Laboratory Access: This is a class where you will have to learn how to program the industrial robotic devices in the laboratory in order to apply this knowledge in completing project work. The robots in the lab are industrial strength and extra care must be taken when you are working with them to avoid injuring you or anyone else and to avoid damaging the robots. If anyone damages any hardware intentionally, then that person will be given a failing grade in the class (will not be allowed to drop the class for any reason to avoid a failing grade). While in the lab, you must have your lab partner with you at all times. We will have a safety lesson in the lab. Access to the lab is privilege you have as students in this course and if you abuse this privilege your access will be revoked and essentially you will fail the class.
Software: You may use any computer software that you like. In this class several software packages could be used depending on the project topic. Numerical analysis software tools include MATLAB http://www.mathworks.com, Mathematica http://wolfram.com, and LabVIEW-MathScript http://www.ni.com; CAD tools include DELMIA. SolidWorks Motion, and CATIA. The robot programming language, Adept ACE, is provided by the robot manufacturer. Introduction to some of these software tools will be
provided but you will have to spend time learning/applying some of them for the projects.
Remember that computer tools are encouraged but are used to help better understand certain concepts – DO NOT just learn how to exercise the software tools but make sure you understand the underlying theory and concepts employed.
Additional Reference Material: There are plenty of resources on resources on the web for robotics. Videos of robotic concepts will be played and discussed in class/ Guest lectures from practicing integrators and other faculty will take place. Visit(s) to robotic integrators and/or factories with robotic devices will be planned.
Drop Policy: According to university regulations and schedule. After the late registration period, students must see their academic advisor to drop a class or withdraw. Undeclared students must see an advisor in the University Advising Center. Drops can continue through a point two-thirds of the way through the term or session. It is the student’s responsibility to officially withdraw if they do not plan to attend after registering. Students will not be automatically dropped for non-attendance. Repayment of certain types of financial aid administered through the University may be required as the result of dropping classes or withdrawing. For more information see http://wweb.uta.edu/ses/fao.
Guaranteed Grading Scale: The guaranteed grading scale based upon the minimum percentage number of points earned is A >= 90%, 90% >B >= 80%, 80% > C >= 70%, 70% > D >=60%, 60% > F
Note that no incomplete grade will be given unless prior arrangements are made and only in extreme circumstances.
Grade Grievances: Any appeal of a grade must follow the procedures and deadlines for grade-related grievances as published in the current undergraduate catalog. http://wweb.uta.edu/catalog/content/general/academic_regulations.aspx#10
Communication: Email communication will be through the MyMav system to your official UTA issued email account and/or through Blackboard and/or the class web page. It is your responsibility to check your email and web page often.
Miscellaneous: If you have a disability, any religious holidays that you need to observe or anything else that might interfere with this class and you would like for me to know about it, you must inform me in writing no later than the third class meeting.
Student Support Services: UT Arlington provides a variety of resources and programs designed to help students develop academic skills, deal with personal situations, and better understand concepts and information related to their courses. For individualized referrals, students may visit the reception desk at University College (Ransom Hall), call the Maverick Resource Hotline at 817-272-6107, email to resources@uta.edu, or view the information at www.uta.edu/resources.
GTA Duties: The GTA will be available to assist with your homework/projects and lab access.
Think safety first!
Before you power on any robot you need to understand and diligently observe the safety rules.
Never power on a robot when you are alone in the lab.
KEEP FOR YOUR RECORDS
SIGN AND RETURN TO INSTRUCTOR BY SECOND CLASS MEETING
Americans with Disabilities Act: The University of Texas at Arlington is on record as being committed to both the spirit and letter of all federal equal opportunity legislation, including the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). All instructors at UT Arlington are required by law to provide “reasonable accommodations” to students with disabilities, so as not to discriminate on the basis of that disability. Any student requiring an accommodation for this course must provide the instructor with official documentation in the form of a letter certified by the staff in the Office for Students with Disabilities, University Hall 102. Only those students who have officially documented a need for an accommodation will have their request honored. Information regarding diagnostic criteria and policies for obtaining disability-based academic accommodations can be found at www.uta.edu/disability or by calling the Office for Students with Disabilities at (817) 272-3364.
Assume no collaboration is allowed unless expressed permission is obtained from the instructor.
Anyone collaborating on an exam will be given a failing grade in the course.
Academic Dishonesty
It is the philosophy of The University of Texas at Arlington that academic dishonesty is a completely unacceptable mode of conduct and will not be tolerated in any form. All persons involved in academic dishonesty will be disciplined in accordance with University regulations and procedures. Discipline may include suspensions or expulsion from the University. “Scholastic dishonesty includes but is not limited to cheating, plagiarism, collusion, the submission for credit of any work or materials that are attributable in whole or in part to another person, taking an examination for another person, any act designed to give unfair advantage to a student or the attempt to commit such acts.” (Regents’ Rules and Regulations, Part One, Chapter VI, Section 3, Subsection 3.2, Subdivision 3.22)
Instructors may employ the Honor Code as they see fit in their courses, including (but not limited to) having students acknowledge the honor code as part of an examination or requiring students to incorporate the honor code into any work submitted. Per UT System Regents’ Rule 50101, §2.2, suspected violations of university’s standards for academic integrity (including the Honor Code) will be referred to the Office of Student Conduct. Violators will be disciplined in accordance with University policy, which may result in the student’s suspension or expulsion from the University.
University of Texas at Arlington Honor Code
The University of Texas at Arlington Honor Code can be found at http://www.uta.edu/conduct/.
I pledge, on my honor, to uphold UT Arlington’s tradition of academic integrity, a tradition that values hard work and honest effort in the pursuit of academic excellence.
I promise that I will submit only work that I personally create or that I contribute to group collaborations, and I will appropriately reference any work from other sources. I will follow the highest standards of integrity and uphold the spirit of the Honor Code.
College of Engineering Ethics
The college of engineering ethics tutorial is at https://www.uta.edu/engineering/academics/ethicstutorial.php. You are required to go through the tutorial and sign and return the attached sheet indicating you carefully went over the material, you understand the implications of the presented material and that you will abide and follow the instructions. You must return this at the second class meeting. You will not be allowed in the class if you do not return this form.
By signing below, I affirmed that I have gone through the college of engineering ethics tutorial and that I will follow the instructions, guidance and rules given in the tutorial.
Name (Block letters)
Date
Student ID
Signature
Grading Policy from CAR course offered in Spring 1999
Projects (80%)
Projects will also be carried out in the Robotics Lab (Rm. 123 WH). The projects in this lab will be tailored such that you will have to familiarize yourself with a robot programming language. In addition, projects will require you to perform a combination of software-hardware functions. For example, design and build a “virtual environment”, simulate and then download the robot code to the actual robot for demonstration.
Homework (10%)
Homework will require you to go to the library and perform studies or find information relevant to the projects and the material covered in class. In addition, homework will be analytical based on material covered in class.
Final Exam (10%)
The final exam will be comprehensive and designed to evaluate your knowledge of the fundamentals covered during the semester. The final will be in class and closed book-notes. If you have any conflict with finals for your other courses you must inform me in writing no later than the third class meeting.
Course Objectives
I. Review
Review the fundamentals covered in the first robotic course; Transformations, Denavit-Hartenberg parameters, Forward and
Inverse kinematics, Forward and Reverse Dynamics.
II. Continue on fundamentals
– Robot Control: Linear, Non-Linear
– Trajectory Generation
III. Robot Design
Kinematic and dynamic robot system design based on task specifications
IV. Virtual Modeling of Robotic Workcell Design – OLP Systems
– Topology of robot / work piece / peripheral equipment etc.
– “Virtual” cell implementation
– Simulation/Analysis/Modification for optimum cell performance
V. Hardware Implementation of Robotic Workcell Design
– Topology of robot / work piece / peripheral equipment etc.
– Data transfer from OLP to actual hardware
– Difficulties/Differences between OLP and actual hardware
– Modifications/Corrections and actual hardware demonstration
VI. Experimentation
Experiment with the robots currently available in the robotics lab.
Notes
Lab Access
Access to the lab is not restricted for students registered in this course. However, the safety rules need to be diligently observed.You can obtain a key for the lab in order to have unlimited access to the equipment. If the safety rules are not observed, I reserve the right to prohibit access to the lab, which will automatically result in a failing grade (F) for the course.
Objective I:
This aspect will require you to learn how to use DADS for analysis. An introduction to DADS will be given as well as a DADS Getting Started Manual will be available in the lab.
Objectives II/III:
These objectives will require you to get familiar with OLP software as well as the actual robot hardware and robot programming language(s).
Objective IV:
This objective will require you to get familiar with actual robot hardware and programming language(s).
Think safety first!
Before you power on any robot you need to understand and diligently observe the safety rules.
Never power on a robot when you are alone in the lab.
Americans With Disabilities Act /Academic Dishonesty Statements