MEng (Hons) Robotics

If you haven’t applied to the University of Plymouth for September 2019 entry, prior to the UCAS deadline, there may still be vacancies on your chosen course.

It’s not too late to apply

• 100% of our graduates said they were satisfied with the quality of their degree in the 2018 National Student Survey (first place) and that the course provided opportunities to apply what was learnt. No doubt because from the day you join us until the day you graduate you’ll be testing and applying everything you learn in our fantastic labs.*
  
• Our robotics courses have a large number of laboratory practical sessions embedded in their modules, and this is a strong feature of the robotics teaching in Plymouth. This ensures that you can consolidate theory learned in lectures using real practical tasks, making your understanding of topics much more concrete.
  
• Immerse yourself in a degree accredited by the Institution for Engineering and Technology (IET)  on behalf of the Engineering Council for the purposes of fully meeting the academic requirement for registration as a Chartered Engineer (CEng).
  
• Keep pace with the fast-moving world of robotics, on a course that cuts a path through the latest research across technologies and disciplines.
• Take the fastest route to Chartered Engineer status. 
• Experience learning that meets the highest standard academic requirements set by The Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET). 
• Undertake a major robotics design and implementation in your final project, showcasing your technical and managerial skills. Develop your technical content, legal and business skills as well as team working and project planning.
• Capitalise on the opportunity to take a work placement in your second or third year, putting your robotics skills into action in the real world.
• Rise to the challenge as part of the Plymouth Humanoids team, battling it out in a variety of international robot competitions.
• Develop professional writing skills as well as strengthening your technical design skills. 
• Refine your professional project management skills, with dedicated professional support from staff across the entire final year on every different aspect of your project.
• Work alongside internationally-renowned staff in a leading service and cognitive robotics research environment.
• Draw on unique opportunities to engage in world-class robotics research, and in a variety of activities (for example, in the humanoid robot football, Federation of International Robot-soccer Association (FIRA) competition).

• Year 1
• In your first year you'll learn through doing, developing your knowledge and practical problem solving skills in our dedicated robotics and communications laboratories. From analogue and digital electronics to engineering mathematics, you'll build up the essential foundations of robotics. Group project work will also help you develop your communication skills and you'll learn structured design procedures for hardware and software all brought together in an integrating robotics project.

  Core modules

  • BPIE112 Stage 1 Electrical/Robotics Placement Preparation

    This module is aimed at students who may be undertaking an industrial placement in the third year of their programme. It is designed to assist students in their search for a placement and in their preparation for the placement itself.

  • ELEC141 Analogue Electronics

    This module provides an overview of analogue circuit characterisation, analysis and design, linking theory to practice. It will examine how common analogue systems are constructed from elementary components.

  • ELEC142 Digital Electronics

    This is a foundation module in digital electronics and computer control, which introduces digital devices and provides a background in the principles, design and applications of combinational and sequential logic circuits.

  • ELEC143 Embedded Software in Context

    This module develops skills in elementary programming through the use of high-level programming languages and the use of the flowcharts to develop algorithms. The module has a strong practical bias where students are required to solve various problems by programming existing microcontroller hardware.

  • ELEC144 Electrical Principles and Machines

    This module gives an introduction to the electrical properties of materials, capacitance, Inductance, and electromagnetism. Basic circuit principles and their application in dc and ac circuit analysis are then applied to electrical machines, transformers and energy conversion.

  • MATH190 Engineering Mathematics

    The module provides students with a number of fundamental mathematical skills and techniques which are essential for the analysis of engineering problems.

  Optional modules

  • ELEC145 Electronic Design and Build

    This module will introduce the students to practical skills needed to design and build an electronic system. A number of hands-on tutorials on specific topics will provide the necessary knowledge. Most of the module will be organized around practical design-and-build exercises combining analogue, digital and software.

  • ROCO104 Robot Design and Build

    This module will introduce the students to practical skills needed to design and build a small robot. A number of hands-on tutorials on specific topics will provide the necessary knowledge. Most of the module will be organized around practical design-and-build exercises framed in the context of a robot competition.

• Year 2
• Throughout your second year, you'll develop a greater understanding of underlying engineering principles and circuit design methods. Again there's an emphasis on team-work, with the opportunity to do both group and individual presentations of your projects. You'll use industrial standard software tools for design and simulation, data monitoring and control, all valuable preparation for your final year individual project or for a placement year.

  Core modules

  • BPIE212 Stage 2 Electrical/Robotics Placement Preparation

    This module is aimed at students who may be undertaking an industrial placement in the third year of their programme. It is designed build on the Level 1 module (BPIE111) and to assist students in their search for a placement and in their preparation for the placement itself.

  • ELEC240 Embedded Systems

    This module introduces the architecture of an embedded system and the engineering process to design, implement, program and validate them. Students will interface analogue and digital peripherals to microcontroller and FPGA devices, develop programming techniques to solve various real-time problems and perform testing.

  • ELEC241 Real Time Systems

    The module enables students to build robust and scalable solutions to real-world problems using both Microcontroller and FPGA technologies. This will include both hardware and firmware development skills.

  • MATH237 Engineering Mathematics and Statistics

    This module provides an introduction to mathematical and statistical methods that are important in the study of electronic and communications engineering. The mathematical techniques (transforms) are central to the study of linear, time-invariant systems. As well as introducing descriptive statistics, basic probability distributions, the module also considers the more advanced topics of reliability and quality control.

  • ROCO219 Control Engineering

    Module starts with modelling of electrical and mechanical systems using differential equations. Transfer functions, PID control design and state space models are then introduced. This leads to the design of state feedback controllers, observers and optimal controllers. Practical work involves Matlab simulations and culminates in the control of real physical systems using microcontrollers.

  • ROCO222 Introduction to Sensors and Actuators

    A systems level study of the principles and design requirements of modern electronic motor systems. Operating performances of various electrical machines are characterised in four quadrants and the requirements of the corresponding power electronic converter topologies are examined. Control strategies are investigated in terms of drive system performance.

  • ROCO224 Introduction to Robotics

    This module covers the theory and implementation of robotics, for both physical and simulated robots. Industry standard robot kinematics and simulations are used to analyse different robot designs, and are practically experienced through commercial tools. The basic mechanical principles for building physical robots are also covered, as well as the algorithms required for planning and generating movement.

• Optional placement year
• Your optional work placement experience gives opportunities to put theory into practice, grow your understanding of robotics in the real world and showcase your growing expertise. We can help you find industrial placement opportunities in the UK, France, Germany or even Japan. Placements will complement your studies with on-the-ground experience and could lead to final year sponsorship. Many of our graduates are offered permanent jobs with their placement company.

  Core modules

  • BPIE332 Electrical Industrial Placement

    A 48-week period of professional training spent as the third year of a sandwich programme undertaking an approved placement with a suitable company. This provides an opportunity for the student to gain relevant industrial experience to consolidate the first two stages of study and to prepare for the final stage and employment after graduation.

• Year 4
• This is when your skills, expertise and know how come into their own. Through your individual project you'll consolidate your knowledge, explore and evaluate new technologies and showcase your potential. You'll demonstrate your communication skills in an oral and written presentation of your project. Refining the independent learning skills you've developed throughout the course, you'll build a proactive, imaginative and dynamic approach to learning, vital for your future robotics career.

  Core modules

  • AINT308 Machine Vision and Behavioural Computing

    Providing an advanced knowledge of artificial vision systems for interactive systems guidance and control, this module is underpinned by current theoretical understanding of animal vision systems.

  • ELEC351 Advanced Embedded Programming

    The module aims to develop programming skills in embedded programming, by making use of advanced features of high-level programming languages and by deepening the knowledge of modern programming techniques in embedded systems. The module has a strong practical bias where students are required to solve various problems by programming existing microcontroller hardware.

  • PROJ324 Individual Project

    The project presents the student with a design, experimental or investigative problem which relates the theoretical studies to a practical application. The project objectives will be based on problems originating from industry, commerce and current research programs. Students will also create a business plan in conjunction with their projects.

  • ROCO318 Mobile and Humanoid Robots

    This module examines the technology, control and modelling of mobile and humanoid robot systems. Mathematical analysis and computational algorithms underpin practical considerations and case studies.

  Optional modules

  • AINT351Z Machine Learning

    This module introduces machine learning, covering unsupervised, supervised and reinforcement learning from Bayesian, Information Theoretic and decision making perspectives. This includes theory behind a range of learning techniques and how to apply these to build representations of data in systems that make decisions and predictions.

  • ELEC345 High Speed Communications

    A circuit and system design module covering analogue and high frequency techniques and their place in modern communications systems.

• Final year
• The MEng includes additional technical modules and a large interdisciplinary design project. There is also the possibility of continuing your studies to MSc level in the same academic year.

  Core modules

  • AINT516Z Topics in Advanced Intelligent Robotics

    This module introduces the research activities of the Centre for Robotics and Neural Systems (CRNS). It is taught by CRNS members who lead thematic workshops on their own areas of expertise, such as swarm robotics, cognitive robotics, Human-Robot Interaction, and bio-inspired cognitive architectures. The module also covers scientific research methods and data analysis.

  • PROJ515 MEng Project

    This group project involves an in-depth study of a complex real-world problem originating from industry, commerce or research. It could include theoretical, computational and experimental work in addition to a critical literature survey and also involves the design and build of a prototype to support the claims made in the project execution plan.

  • ROCO504 Advanced Robot Design

    This module aims to give the students a theoretical and practical understanding of designing and building advanced robot assemblies and mechanisms, through engineering and bioinspired approaches.

  • ROCO506Z Science and Technology of Autonomous Vehicles

    This module focuses on both theoretical principles and practical methodologies of robotic perception, mapping and navigation aiming at providing ground vehicles with multiple degrees of autonomy. In addition, advanced technologies from statistics, vision and machine learning will be analysed. The module will then focus on the implementation of these technologies on real platforms to close the perceive-reason-act loop.

Every undergraduate taught course has a detailed programme specification document describing the course aims, the course structure, the teaching and learning methods, the learning outcomes and the rules of assessment.

The following programme specification represents the latest course structure and may be subject to change:

MEngRobotics ProgrammeSpecification September2018 3746

UCAS tariff

128