Learning Objectives

This course teaches students to design and build robotic systems from a creative perspective. Students develop technical making skills alongside critical and aesthetic approaches to robotics as an artistic medium. Through hands-on experimentation, historical study, and project-based learning, students will create engaging, interactive robotic experiences.

Upon completing this course, students will be able to:

• Design and fabricate custom mechanisms using digital and analog fabrication techniques
• Build and prototype embedded electronic systems
• Program responsive and interactive behaviors for robotic systems
• Integrate aesthetic and conceptual thinking into technical design processes
• Analyze historical and contemporary practices in kinetic, robotic, and systems art
• Develop gallery-ready interactive robotic artworks
• Document creative and technical processes professionally

Prerequisites

There are no formal course prerequisites. However, students should have prior experience with designing or fabricating physical projects.

During the semester students will be required to complete following trainings in order to access the Robotics Department Makerspace and facilities:

• Wilson Center Basic Workshop Safety Training I
• Robotics Basic Workshop Safety Training II

Required Materials

There are no required textbooks. Readings, videos, and reference materials will be provided by the instructors.

Course Structure

The course is divided into two halves: