Robotics (with Foundation Year) - BEng(Hons)

The BEng(Hons) Robotics is for anyone interested in learning about, understanding and developing robots. Although this is primarily an engineering course, it does extend and redefine the boundaries of engineering into new and exciting areas, including artificial life, biologically-inspired robotics, swarm intelligence and human-robot interaction. It is the blend of hardware, software and problem solving skills you will acquire on this course that will make you so valuable to a wide range of industries.

Year 0 (Foundation Year)

You will study the following modules:

• Engineering Experimentation
• Foundation Group Project
• Foundation Mechanics
• Foundation Maths, Algebra, Calculus
• Introduction to Mechatronics

You will study the Foundation Year alongside students from our other Engineering and Maths courses, and so you may be able to transfer to a course in one of these areas at the end of the Foundation Year.

The normal expectation is that you must pass all Year 0 modules before progressing to Year 1.

Year 1

You will study the following compulsory modules:

• Practical Electronics
• Introduction to Artificial Intelligence for Robotics
• Introduction to Robotics and Electronics
• C Programming
• Engineering Mathematics
• Digital Principles for Robotics

Year 2

In Year 2 you will gain more in-depth understanding of Robotics as a subject, and will work with fellow students to design and build your own mobile robot to compete against your classmates. You will learn the theory and practice of precision control of robots, how robot software systems and artificial intelligence integrate, and how to make complex electronic systems communicate with each other.

You will study the following compulsory modules:

• Robotic Systems
• Group Fab Lab
• Maths for Signals and Control
• Practical Electronic Design
• Communications, Signals and Filters
• Control

Placement year (optional)

We recommend that students take this opportunity to do a year-long placement in industry or research. However, this is not necessary and students can enter the final year immediately after Year 2.

Final Year

A significant part of the final year is taken up with an individual project. You'll also learn more advanced topics in specialised areas; such as machine vision, how to make robots learn to control themselves, digital signal processing, and important preparation for your future work as a certified engineer or as a researcher in robotics.

You will study the following compulsory modules:

• BEng Individual Project
• Machine Vision
• Probabilistic Robotics
• Advances in Artificial Intelligence
• Ethics of Technology

Plus one of the following optional modules:

• Business Environment
• Industrial Placement

Plus one of the following optional modules:

• Intelligent and Adaptive Systems
• Digital Signal Processing

The University continually enhances our offer by responding to feedback from our students and other stakeholders, ensuring the curriculum is kept up to date and our graduates are equipped with the knowledge and skills they need for the real world. This may result in changes to the course. If changes to your course are approved we will inform you.

We place a strong emphasis on a hands-on approach and you'll start building robots from your first week at UWE. We teach with a mixture of lab sessions, lectures, tutorials and projects. The great thing about UWE Robotics students is they support each other and you can easily find somebody who can give you a hand in understanding difficult concepts or learning new skills. In fact, we have regular sessions where students teach each other. Some of our students think it's the competition to build the fastest or best-performing robot which drives them to success.

For more details see our full glossary of learning and teaching terms.

Assessment is through a mixture of examination and coursework.

For more details see our full glossary of assessment terms.