Worcester Polytechnic Institute · 3 credits · UGRD
Catalog
1/3 Unit. This course delves into the core aspects of microcontrollers and electronic circuits for robotic systems management and design. Students will engage with interrupt service routines, state machines, and event-driven programming, crucial for process and state management in robotics. The course emphasizes the implementation of both software and hardware timers for robotic control and scheduling. A key focus of the course is on the electronic components of robots, including studies of op-amps and power/control circuits, equipping students with the skills to design and manage robot electronics. The course includes analog-to-digital and digital-to-analog converters, essential for converting sensory data between analog and digital formats. Students will explore communication techniques (SPI, I2C, PWM, etc.), vital for data exchange in robotic systems, and gain comprehensive knowledge of digital and analog electronics for effective sensor and actuator interfacing. The course also covers DC motors and DC motor control (speed, torque, and direction), analog filters for signal processing, sensor calibration, and an introduction to control systems, focusing on PID controllers. Laboratory sessions consist of hands-on exercises where students design and test electronic subsystems interfacing a robot for specific tasks. Compared to ECE 2049, this course explores more peripherals' practical applications in robotics systems but does not dive as deeply into microcontroller architecture. Students may apply RBE 2020 to the Embedded Systems requirement in Robotics Engineering. Credit is not permitted for both RBE 2020 and ECE 2049, regardless of major. Additionally, students cannot receive credit for both RBE 2020 and RBE 200X. Recommended Background: RBE 1001; fundamentals of electronics, such as found in ECE 2010; and programming experience, such as covered in CS 2119, CS 2102/3, CS 2301/3, or ECE 2039.
Recent sections
Fall 2026 · 6 sections
Section
Days & time
Location
Instructor
AL01Class #RBE-2020-AL01
Days & timeM-T-R-F11:00 AM - 11:50 AM2026-08-20 - 2026-10-09
LocationGoddard Hall 227 Classroom
InstructorGreg Lewin
AX01Class #RBE-2020-AX01
Days & time
T8:00 AM - 9:50 AM
2026-08-20 - 2026-10-09
LocationAtwater Kent 227 Lab Restricted Access
InstructorGreg Lewin
AX02Class #RBE-2020-AX02
Days & timeT2:00 PM - 3:50 PM2026-08-20 - 2026-10-09
LocationAtwater Kent 227 Lab Restricted Access
InstructorGreg Lewin
BL01Class #RBE-2020-BL01
Days & timeM-T-R-F1:00 PM - 1:50 PM2026-10-19 - 2026-12-11
LocationKaven Hall 116
InstructorJennifer Stander
BX01Class #RBE-2020-BX01
Days & timeT9:00 AM - 10:50 AM2026-10-19 - 2026-12-11
LocationAtwater Kent 227 Lab Restricted Access
InstructorJennifer Stander
BX02Class #RBE-2020-BX02
Days & timeR2:00 PM - 3:50 PM2026-10-19 - 2026-12-11