Professional/Short course Assistive Robotics

Entry year
2025/26
Course code
UFMFSR15M
Application
University
Level
Professional/Short Course
School
School of Engineering
Campus
Frenchay
Duration
One semester/12 weeks
Delivery
Face-to-face
Course Director
Dr Marcela Munera

Page last updated 23 May 2025

15 credit level 7 module

Introduction

This 15 credit module, Assistive Robotics, will introduce you to the fundamentals of assistive robotics and you will also gain knowledge of key areas within robotics that are core to realising assistive robotic solutions.

In this module, you will learn about the state-of-the-art research in recognising and integrating both environmental contexts and human user behaviour and health status through heterogeneous sensor data fusion and adaptive machine learning. You will be introduced to current techniques for validation and verification in different scenarios, specifically considering operation in unstructured environments where the end-users interacting with these are likely to have a range of sensory, cognitive and mobility impairments. 

The key aims of this module are to enable you to gain knowledge and experience of a key application area, assistive robotics; the skills to identify functional and non-functional requirements for assistive robots; and to define an appropriate set of evaluation criteria and critically appraise the functional and non-functional performance of assistive robots. 

On successful completion of this course, you will be able to: 

  • identify functional and non-functional requirements for assistive robots by considering specific user needs in each context, the existing assistive robotic solutions, different disability models and frameworks and propose a solution following the requirements. 
  • define a set of evaluation criteria to critically appraise the performance of an assistive robot to perform a series of functions in a specific assistive context.

You will have the skills to identify functional and non-functional requirements for assistive robots by considering specific user accessibility needs and disabilities, for use in a given context.  

Careers / Further study

This level 7 module can contribute towards:

  • MSc Robotics (Joint Award)
  • MSc Robotics and Autonomous Systems (Joint Award)
  • MSc Health Technology

Structure

Content

The module syllabus will typically include the following topics:

  • Introduction to Assistive Robotics
  • Physical, Sensory and Cognitive Disabilities and Long-term Conditions 
  • Accessible Human-Robot Design and Evaluation   
  • Interdisciplinary Aspects of Assistive Robot Design, Development and Deployment  
  • Human Robot Interaction: Mechanical and Control Aspects of Assistive Robots 
  • Human-Robot Evaluation and Ethics 
  • Socially Assistive Robots   
  • Physically Assistive Robots - Motor control and Exoskeletons 
  • Robots for Gait Assistance 
  • Robots for Physical Assistance 
  • Intelligent Sensing and Instrumentation in a Health Context

Learning and Teaching

Scheduled learning includes lectures and practical laboratory sessions.

Independent learning includes time spent on essential and further reading, coding and testing in the practical sessions, and completion of the coursework assignment.

Assessment

Assessment for this module comprises a written report (limited to six pages including figures, tables and references) where you will follow a provided template and summarise the practical work conducted as part of the group project. You will select a specific assistive robotics need from a provided list and conduct a literature and commercial review of existing solutions. 

The report will also detail two solutions designed during the practical sessions, utilising available assistive robot platforms and simulation environments. These solutions will be demonstrated in a group presentation during the final practical session.

Lastly, the report will propose an assessment framework for evaluating the performance of the robotic solutions. It will specify the evaluation criteria used and describe the methods employed to assess the performance of individual functions and the overall task execution.

You will be supported to successfully complete their assessment through interaction with course tutors during the timetabled practical sessions and ad hoc drop-in tutorials throughout the teaching block.

Features

Study facilities

UWE Bristol is superbly equipped with libraries and computer labs, and an excellent campus environment.

Find out more about the facilities and resources UWE Bristol has to offer.

Take a personalised virtual tour of the Engineering facilities and experience what a typical day could look like here for you.

Prices and dates

Supplementary fee information

For information on fees, managing your money and determining your fee status, please go to our fees and funding pages.

Dates

Please click on the Apply Now button to view dates.

How to apply

Please click on the Apply Now button to apply for your CPD module, which you can take as a stand-alone course or as part of an undergraduate or postgraduate (Masters level) programme.

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