Overview

This course focuses on real-world applications of robotics across diverse domains and environments. Learners will explore how robotic systems operate in complex scenarios, including healthcare, extreme environments, and distributed systems. The course highlights the practical impact of robotics and its role in addressing societal challenges. This course is part of the "Robotics & Robots" Specialization. Contributors: Prof. Bruno Siciliano, University of Naples, Federico II Proff. Gianluca Antonelli, University of Cassino and Southern Lazio; Paolo Dario/Gastone Ciuti/Filippo Cavallo/Federico Masiero, Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies, Pisa; Roberto Lampariello, Institute of Robotics and Mechatronics German Aerospace Center; Pedro Lima, University of Lisbon; Robin Murphy, Texas A&M University; Anibal Ollero/Guillermo Heredia, University of Seville; Dezhen Song, Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence "A special mention goes to Mario Selvaggio for his tireless dedication to the project, interacting with all the lesson authors, ensuring consistency and soundness throughout, also in connection with the Springer Nature books supporting the MOOC course. His contribution to defining the problems posed at the end of the various lessons was crucial" - Bruno Siciliano

Syllabus

Distributed and Networked Robotic

This week introduces distributed robotic systems, focusing on multi-robot coordination and networked operation. Learners explore cooperative perception, localization, formation control, and task allocation as key elements of multi-robot systems. The second part examines networked robotics, including telerobotics, system properties under communication constraints, and cloud robotics as an enabling paradigm. Together, these topics highlight how connectivity and cooperation extend robotic capabilities.

Medical Robotics

This week explores robotic applications in healthcare, focusing on surgery, limb substitution, and assistive services. Learners analyze how robots enhance precision, support rehabilitation, and improve quality of life. The week emphasizes safety, reliability, and human-centered design in medical contexts. Through these applications, robotics is presented as a key technology for addressing societal and demographic challenges.

Aerial and Space Robotics

This week focuses on robots operating in aerial and space environments. Learners study unmanned aerial vehicles, including their modeling, control, and estimation, as well as their autonomous functionalities. The second part introduces orbital robotics, covering kinematics, dynamics, and motion control in space. These domains highlight the challenges of autonomy, limited communication, and operation in extreme conditions.

Underwater and Rescue Robotics

This week explores robots operating in underwater and disaster-response scenarios, both characterized by challenging and unstructured environments. The first part focuses on underwater robotics, covering system components such as sensors and actuators, as well as navigation, guidance, and control strategies under constraints of limited visibility and communication. The second part introduces rescue robotics, examining the nature of disasters, criteria for selecting robotic platforms, and the use of different modalities in emergency response. The week concludes with methods for testing and evaluating rescue robots, emphasizing reliability and performance in critical missions