Uploaded April 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Hear how Dr. Arnold Pretorius at the University of Cape Town developed a course on mobile robotics. The course offers a comprehensive, hands-on introduction to Model-Based Design for robotics applications—including arm-type, wheeled, and aerial robots—tailored specifically for lecturers seeking to integrate robotics into their curriculum. A key feature of the course is its practical lab component, which includes both virtual exercises and hands-on activities using a self-developed mini-drone platform.
Chapters:
00:24 Introduction: university background and funding challenges
01:12 Motivation for interactive and experiential robotics teaching; course objectives
03:43 Course content structure: main content areas and practical components
06:24 Main tasks and course development timeline; course notes, quadcopter, attitude rig, telemetry, and Px4
09:48 Interactive course notes: sectioning, figures with captions, LaTeX-rendered equations, code blocks with commenting
10:42 Example chapters
12:40 Low-cost quadcopter design: 3D printing, PX4 compatibility, Simulink external mode
14:20 Attitude rig design
15:55 Hands-on practical labs and real-time experimentation: orientation estimation, control design, attitude estimation, attitude control
24:16 Open access resources
25:55 Student feedback
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Learn more about MATLAB: goo.gl/8QV7ZZ
Learn more about Simulink: goo.gl/nqnbLe
See what's new in MATLAB and Simulink: goo.gl/pgGtod
© 2026 The MathWorks, Inc. MATLAB and Simulink are registered trademarks of The MathWorks, Inc.
See mathworks.com/trademarks for a list of additional trademarks. Other product or brand names may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders.
Hear how Dr. Arnold Pretorius at the University of Cape Town developed a course on mobile robotics. The course offers a comprehensive, hands-on introduction to Model-Based Design for robotics applications—including arm-type, wheeled, and aerial robots—tailored specifically for lecturers seeking to integrate robotics into their curriculum. A key feature of the course is its practical lab component, which includes both virtual exercises and hands-on activities using a self-developed mini-drone platform.
Chapters:
00:24 Introduction: university background and funding challenges
01:12 Motivation for interactive and experiential robotics teaching; course objectives
03:43 Course content structure: main content areas and practical components
06:24 Main tasks and course development timeline; course notes, quadcopter, attitude rig, telemetry, and Px4
09:48 Interactive course notes: sectioning, figures with captions, LaTeX-rendered equations, code blocks with commenting
10:42 Example chapters
12:40 Low-cost quadcopter design: 3D printing, PX4 compatibility, Simulink external mode
14:20 Attitude rig design
15:55 Hands-on practical labs and real-time experimentation: orientation estimation, control design, attitude estimation, attitude control
24:16 Open access resources
25:55 Student feedback
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Get a free product trial: goo.gl/ZHFb5u
Learn more about MATLAB: goo.gl/8QV7ZZ
Learn more about Simulink: goo.gl/nqnbLe
See what's new in MATLAB and Simulink: goo.gl/pgGtod
© 2026 The MathWorks, Inc. MATLAB and Simulink are registered trademarks of The MathWorks, Inc.
See mathworks.com/trademarks for a list of additional trademarks. Other product or brand names may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders.
