Course Overview
Automation and Robotics gives students the opportunity to combine mechanisms with input and output devices to automate systems. Construction and programming skills are layered progressively, and projects connect student learning throughout each lesson. Students take on the role of engineering interns, working in teams to identify design requirements and create prototypes to meet the needs of clients. They explore different aspects of automation and robotics, and experience how solving real-life problems involves the teamwork of mechanical engineers, software developers, and electrical engineers.
The Big Idea
Automation is transforming every industry — from manufacturing to medicine. Understanding how to design, build, and program automated systems is one of the most valuable skills of the 21st century.
Course Units
Unit 1: Mechanisms & Mechanical Systems
Students explore the fundamental mechanical components used in automated systems — gears, pulleys, levers, cams, and linkages. They investigate how these mechanisms transmit and transform motion and force, and build working models to see mechanical principles in action.
Key Activities
- Investigate gear ratios and mechanical advantage
- Build and test pulley and lever systems
- Explore cams and linkages in mechanical devices
- Design a mechanism that performs a specific motion
Unit 2: Sensors, Actuators & Control Systems
Students investigate the input and output devices that make automation possible. They explore how sensors detect conditions in the environment and how actuators (motors, servos, pneumatics) respond to control signals. Students wire and program basic control systems, learning how feedback loops enable automated responses.
Key Activities
- Explore different types of sensors and their applications
- Wire and test motors, servos, and other actuators
- Build a simple feedback control system
- Program a device to respond to sensor input
Unit 3: Programming Automated Systems
Students develop their programming skills to control automated systems. They write code to sequence actions, respond to sensor data, and implement logic that makes their robots and machines behave intelligently. Students learn debugging strategies and experience the iterative process of software development.
Key Activities
- Write programs to control robot movement and actions
- Implement conditional logic and loops in code
- Use sensor data to trigger automated responses
- Debug and refine programs through systematic testing
Unit 4: The Client Challenge — Automated Prototype
Students apply their full range of skills to tackle a client challenge: designing and building an automated prototype that meets a set of real-world requirements. Working as engineering interns, they identify design constraints, prototype solutions, test performance, and present their automated system to the class.
Key Activities
- Analyze client requirements and define design constraints
- Design and build an automated prototype system
- Test and evaluate performance against requirements
- Present the final prototype with engineering documentation
Skills You'll Build
Transferable skills developed throughout this course. Learn more about each skill →