Automation and Robotics Syllabus

The syllabus below is representative and should not be treated as the official curriculum of every institution.

First-Year Subjects

Engineering Mathematics: Calculus, matrices, differential equations, probability and numerical methods.

Engineering Physics: Mechanics, electricity, magnetism, optics and material behaviour.

Engineering Chemistry: Materials, corrosion, lubricants and industrial chemistry.

Engineering Mechanics: Forces, equilibrium, friction, motion and basic machine analysis.

Engineering Graphics: Projections, machine drawings, tolerances and CAD fundamentals.

Basic Electrical Engineering: Circuits, machines, transformers, power and safety.

Basic Electronics: Diodes, transistors, amplifiers, digital logic and measurement.

Computer Programming: Problem-solving, functions, data structures and debugging.

Workshop Practice: Fitting, machining, welding, electrical wiring and safe tool use.

Second-Year Subjects

Strength of Materials: Stress, strain, bending, torsion and failure.

Theory of Machines: Mechanisms, gears, cams, balancing and motion.

Electrical Machines: Motors, generators, transformers and performance.

Analog and Digital Electronics: Signal processing, logic circuits and electronic systems.

Sensors and Transducers: Temperature, pressure, position, speed, force and proximity measurement.

Microprocessors and Microcontrollers: Architecture, programming, interfacing and embedded control.

Fluid Mechanics: Fluid properties, pressure, flow and industrial applications.

Hydraulics and Pneumatics: Cylinders, valves, pumps, compressors and circuit design.

Control Systems: Feedback, stability, response and controller design.

Manufacturing Processes: Machining, forming, joining, CNC and production systems.

Third-Year Subjects

Programmable Logic Controllers: PLC architecture, ladder logic, timers, counters, sequencing and fault diagnosis.

SCADA Systems: Supervisory monitoring, alarms, trends, data logging and control interfaces.

Human-Machine Interface: Operator screens, visualisation, controls, alarms and usability.

Industrial Robotics: Robot structures, joints, coordinate systems, kinematics and programming.

Robot Dynamics: Forces, torques, motion and manipulator behaviour.

Electrical Drives: Motor control, power electronics, speed control and servo systems.

Industrial Instrumentation: Measurement, calibration, transmitters and process control.

CNC and CAD/CAM: Computer numerical control, tool paths, machining and manufacturing integration.

Machine Vision: Cameras, lighting, image processing, inspection and robot guidance.

Industrial Communication: Field buses, industrial Ethernet, protocols and network architecture.

Final-Year Subjects

Automation-System Design: Selection and integration of sensors, controllers, actuators and networks.

Industrial Internet of Things: Connected devices, edge systems, data collection and industrial platforms.

Advanced Robotics: Mobile robots, collaborative robots, path planning and intelligent control.

AI and Machine Learning for Robotics: Perception, classification, prediction and adaptive systems.

Digital Twins: Virtual models connected with physical machines or production systems.

Predictive Maintenance: Condition monitoring, vibration, temperature and failure prediction.

Functional Safety: Risk assessment, safety circuits, interlocks, emergency systems and standards awareness.

Flexible Manufacturing Systems: Automated production, material handling and reconfigurable manufacturing.

Industrial Project Management: Scope, schedule, cost, commissioning and documentation.

Internship: Supervised industrial experience.

Major Project: Design and implementation of an automation or robotic system.

Representative Semester-Wise Syllabus

PLC Programming

A Programmable Logic Controller is an industrial computer designed to control machines and processes.

Students may learn:

• PLC hardware;
• input-output modules;
• digital and analogue signals;
• ladder logic;
• function block diagrams;
• structured text;
• timers;
• counters;
• sequencing;
• interlocks;
• alarms;
• communication;
• troubleshooting; and
• documentation.

PLC programming should include safe practical wiring and fault diagnosis, not only simulation.

SCADA and HMI

SCADA systems allow operators to monitor and supervise processes.

Students may practise:

• screen design;
• tag configuration;
• alarms;
• trends;
• data logging;
• recipes;
• reports;
• user access;
• communication; and
• system architecture.

HMI design should prioritise clarity and operator safety rather than decorative graphics.

Sensors and Instrumentation

Common sensors include:

• proximity sensors;
• photoelectric sensors;
• encoders;
• limit switches;
• pressure sensors;
• temperature sensors;
• flow sensors;
• level sensors;
• force sensors;
• vibration sensors;
• cameras; and
• safety scanners.

Students should understand range, accuracy, repeatability, response time, calibration and environmental suitability.

Actuators and Drives

Actuators convert control signals into physical action.

They may include:

• electric motors;
• servo motors;
• stepper motors;
• pneumatic cylinders;
• hydraulic cylinders;
• solenoids;
• valves; and
• linear actuators.

Drives control speed, torque, position and motion.

Robot Kinematics

Robot kinematics studies movement without initially considering forces.

Students may learn:

• coordinate frames;
• joint variables;
• forward kinematics;
• inverse kinematics;
• workspace;
• velocity;
• Jacobians; and
• trajectory planning.

Robot Dynamics

Robot dynamics examines forces and torques required to create motion. It supports:

• motor selection;
• control design;
• payload analysis;
• energy estimation;
• motion planning; and
• performance evaluation.

Industrial Robot Programming

Programming methods may include:

• teach pendant programming;
• point-to-point motion;
• linear motion;
• coordinate frames;
• tool frames;
• speed and acceleration;
• input-output control;
• error recovery;
• offline programming; and
• simulation.

End Effectors

An end effector is attached to a robot arm to interact with a workpiece.

Examples include:

• mechanical grippers;
• vacuum grippers;
• welding torches;
• paint guns;
• screwdrivers;
• cutters;
• polishing tools; and
• inspection sensors.

Selection depends on the task, payload, shape, material and environment.

Hydraulics and Pneumatics

Pneumatic systems use compressed air and are common in fast, repetitive industrial tasks. Hydraulic systems use pressurised fluid and can provide high force.

Students study:

• compressors;
• pumps;
• cylinders;
• valves;
• filters;
• regulators;
• circuit symbols;
• sequence control;
• maintenance; and
• safety.

Control Systems

Control engineering may include:

• open- and closed-loop control;
• transfer functions;
• time response;
• stability;
• frequency response;
• PID control;
• state-space methods;
• digital control; and
• tuning.

Control theory allows machines to achieve desired speed, position, pressure or temperature despite disturbances.

Machine Vision

Machine vision uses cameras and image processing for industrial tasks.

Applications include:

• defect inspection;
• measurement;
• barcode reading;
• object identification;
• alignment;
• robot guidance;
• counting; and
• process monitoring.

Successful vision systems require appropriate optics, lighting, positioning and calibration.

Industrial IoT

IIoT connects industrial devices and data systems.

Students may learn:

• sensors;
• edge devices;
• industrial communication;
• data acquisition;
• cloud platforms;
• dashboards;
• analytics;
• cyber security; and
• remote monitoring.

Digital Twins

A digital twin is a virtual representation connected with information from a physical asset or process.

Digital twins may support:

• design;
• commissioning;
• monitoring;
• maintenance;
• training;
• optimisation; and
• production planning.

Collaborative Robots

Collaborative robots are designed for certain forms of closer human-robot collaboration. Their safe use still requires:

• risk assessment;
• application-specific design;
• safe speeds and forces;
• protective measures;
• validated tooling; and
• appropriate procedures.

The label “collaborative” does not make every application automatically safe.

Automation and Robotics Electives

Possible electives include:

• autonomous mobile robots;
• advanced PLC;
• distributed control systems;
• process automation;
• robot vision;
• machine learning for robotics;
• drones;
• embedded robotics;
• advanced manufacturing;
• industrial cyber security;
• motion control;
• smart sensors;
• flexible manufacturing;
• warehouse automation;
• medical robotics;
• agricultural robotics;
• human-robot interaction;
• digital twins;
• predictive maintenance; and
• additive manufacturing.

Automation and Robotics Laboratories

Electrical Machines Laboratory: Motors, generators, transformers and drives.

Electronics Laboratory: Analogue, digital and power-electronic circuits.

Sensors Laboratory: Measurement, calibration and signal conditioning.

PLC and SCADA Laboratory: Programming, wiring, HMI and process simulation.

Robotics Laboratory: Manipulator programming, trajectories and end effectors.

Hydraulics and Pneumatics Laboratory: Circuit assembly and troubleshooting.

Microcontroller Laboratory: Embedded programming and sensor interfacing.

Machine Vision Laboratory: Cameras, lighting and inspection.

CNC Laboratory: Machine programming and process control.

Industrial Networking Laboratory: Device communication and system integration.

Automation and Robotics Project Ideas

Students may develop:

• automated sorting system;
• PLC-controlled conveyor;
• robotic pick-and-place cell;
• machine-vision inspection;
• line-following mobile robot;
• warehouse robot prototype;
• automated liquid-filling system;
• smart irrigation controller;
• predictive-maintenance dashboard;
• robotic welding simulation;
• pneumatic material-handling system;
• digital twin of a production line;
• collaborative assembly workstation;
• automated packaging system;
• solar-panel cleaning robot;
• fire-detection mobile robot;
• autonomous inventory vehicle;
• condition-monitoring system;
• robotic arm with vision guidance;
• smart energy-management system;
• IoT-based process monitor;
• automated greenhouse;
• CNC tool-condition monitor;
• human-machine interface redesign; or
• industrial safety-interlock system.

Projects involving moving machinery should use guarding, emergency stops and competent supervision.