Stage 02 of 04 · Builder
Robotics Engineering Fundamentals
Engineering process on a real platform.
What students learn
Real engineering practice on a robotics platform — sensors and actuators, control loops, CAD-then-build, debugging, and the engineering notebook habit. Bridge from "drag-and-drop in Blocks" to "I can write the program in text and reason about why it works."
Engineering process as a daily habit. Control-loop intuition (bang-bang → proportional). The ability to read and debug other people's robot code. Documentation discipline.
Module-by-module
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01
Engineering process
Design → build → test → iterate. Robot spec sheet.
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02
Drivetrain mechanics
Wheels, gear ratios, torque vs. speed. Robot drives a precise path.
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03
Sensors
Distance, gyro, encoder, color. Robot follows a route by sensor.
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04
Control loops
Bang-bang vs. proportional. Smoother line-following.
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05
Manipulators
Arm, claw, intake. Robot picks up and moves an object.
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06
Autonomous routines
Sequence sensor-driven actions. End-to-end auto.
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07
Notebook & CAD
Document with CAD sketches. First proper notebook.
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08
Debug bootcamp
When it doesn't work, why? Three documented fixes.
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09
Mid-term build
Student picks a challenge. Working solution.
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10
Final demo
Present, defend choices. 5-minute demo + Q&A.
What they make
A robot that performs a multi-step autonomous routine, documented in an engineering notebook.
Walk away with
Engineering discipline. Control-loop intuition. Code-reading and debugging skills.
Next step
C12 Competition Robotics, or an Innovator project that uses robotics.