Building a Future with Robots from FutureLearn

This course looked at current and future developments in the field of robotics that could shape different aspects of people’s daily lives. It built an understanding of the principles and fundamental challenges of designing robots including: Most FutureLearn courses run multiple times. Every run of a course has a set start date but you can join it and work through it after it starts. Find out more This course is open to anyone with an interest in robotics. It will be of particular interest to engineers, designers, technicians and enthusiasts who are keen to explore the role of robots in our economic and industrial future. You can use the hashtag #FLRoboFuture to talk about this course on social media.

Topics Covered

What a robot needs to be able to sense the world using drones, youBots and autonomous cars as examples.
Current and future developments in robotics and how and where they are being applied.
How robotics can take inspiration from nature looking at swarm robots and biomimetics.
How robots work with others for example, a robot surgeon and a robotic arm.

Reviews summary

Overview of robotics future and applications

According to students, this course provides a positive, high-level overview of the exciting field of robotics and its future applications. Many learners found the content interesting and inspiring, particularly appreciating the coverage of topics like drones, autonomous cars, and biomimetics. It is often described as a good starting point for those new to the subject or enthusiasts looking for a broad understanding. However, some reviewers noted that the course can be too basic for those with technical backgrounds and lacks deep technical detail or practical application advice, leading to it feeling somewhat superficial for some.

Accessible and clear for newcomers.

"As someone completely new to robotics, this course was a perfect starting point. Easy to follow and understand."

"I recommend this course for enthusiasts or anyone just curious about the future of technology."

"It's a great introductory course, assumes no prior knowledge which was perfect for me."

"The explanations were clear and made complex ideas approachable for a layperson."

Content like drones and AI sparks interest.

"The sections on autonomous vehicles and drone technology were particularly fascinating and well-presented."

"Really enjoyed seeing the real-world examples of robotics in action, from surgery to nature-inspired designs."

"The course does a great job highlighting the cool and exciting potential of robots in our daily lives."

"Inspired me to learn more about specific areas like swarm robotics after seeing the examples."

Provides a comprehensive, high-level introduction.

"It gave me a really good overview of the different areas of robotics and its potential future."

"The course covers a wide range of topics, showing how robots are being applied across various fields."

"Learned about many different aspects of robotics I hadn't considered before, like biomimetics and swarm robots."

"Excellent introduction to the field of robotics and its impact on society."

Surface-level coverage disappointing for some.

"While the overview is nice, I was hoping for more technical details on how these robots actually work."

"Too basic for anyone with an engineering background; it felt more like a general interest lecture series."

"Could use more in-depth coverage on the engineering principles behind the examples shown."

"I found it frustratingly superficial, it mentions cool concepts but doesn't explain the 'how'."

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Learners who complete Building a Future with Robots will develop knowledge and skills that may be useful to these careers:

Building a Future with Robots

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Overview of robotics future and applications

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