Unit information: Assistive Robotics (UWE UFMFSR-15-M) in 2021/22

Unit name	Assistive Robotics (UWE UFMFSR-15-M)
Unit code	EMATM0059
Credit points	15
Level of study	M/7
Teaching block(s)	Teaching Block 2 (weeks 13 - 24)
Unit director	Professor. Caleb-Solly
Open unit status	Not open
Pre-requisites	None
Co-requisites	None
School/department	School of Engineering Mathematics and Technology
Faculty	Faculty of Engineering

Description including Unit Aims

Assistive robotics is increasingly becoming recognised as a potential enabler in helping people improve their quality of life and live independently, particularly in later life.

According to a recent business report, the assistive robotics market is expected to register a compound annual growth rate of 21% over the forecast period of 2019-2024.

This module will introduce you to the fundamentals of assistive robotics. Starting with understanding a range of typical assistive scenarios and robots, together with the associated human physical, sensory and cognitive conditions and disabilities that need to be considered when designing and deploying such systems, you will also gain knowledge of key areas within robotics that are core to realising assistive robotic solutions.

The practical sessions for this module, which will contribute to the coursework assignment and run in parallel to the lecture sessions, will involve working in teams on a mobile robot platform to achieve an assistive task. Each sub-group within a team will focus on a specific functionality to achieve the task, such as human-robot interaction, scene analysis, person recognition, navigation, object recognition, grasping and manipulation, culminating in integrating the different functions to realise the overall task. This will give you the opportunity of developing and applying in-depth knowledge and skills in a specific area of interest as related to assistive robotics, but also understanding the scope of the different fundamental areas and the pragmatic challenges of working on a real-world assistive task

• Introduction to Assistive Robotics
• Understanding Physical, Sensory and Cognitive Disabilities and Long-term conditions
  • International Classification of Disability and Clinical Frailty Index
  • Assistive Technology Assessment Process Model and Basic Definitions
  • Human Factors and Ergonomics
• Accessible Human-Robot Interaction Design and Evaluation
  • Universal Design Principles and Accessible Interaction Devices and Methods
  • Participatory Design Methodology and challenges
  • Inclusive evaluation approaches
• Socially and Physically Assistive Robots
  • Review of State-of-the-art
  • Critical evaluation of scope, function and fundamental challenges
• Rehabilitation Robotics, Prosthetics and Exoskeletons
  • Review of the State-of-the-art
  • Materials and Adaptable form factors (including soft robotics and wearables)
• Interdisciplinary Aspects of Assistive Robot Design, Development and Deployment
  • Health and social care professionals – roles and responsibilities
  • Current care provision and contexts
  • Role of product design and aesthetics – user acceptance models
• Intelligent Sensing and Instrumentation in a Health Context
  • Invasive and non-invasive sensing
  • Biometric, physiological and environmental sensing
  • Approaches for temporal data analysis and learning
• Safety – Methods, Standards, Regulations and Regulatory bodies in Health and Social Care
  • Review of existing standards (ISO13482, ISO421, BS8611, ISO17069)
  • NICE – role and guidelines, MHRA, Care Quality Commission
  • Hazard Analysis and Safety Assessment methods (ESHA, FMECA, OSHA)

• Ethical and Legal issues in Assistive Robotics
  • This session will be organised as a series of min-debates, with students provided with key papers and guidelines in advance to develop an understanding of the ethical and legal concerns for a selection of assertive scenarios.
• Rethinking Assistive Robots
  • Internet of Robotic Things
  • Robotic furniture and objects 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, completion of the coursework assignment and exam preparation. concerns for a selection of assistive scenarios.

Intended Learning Outcomes

Refer to UWE unit level guidance.

Teaching Information

Refer to UWE unit level guidance.

Assessment Information

This unit is assessed at the University of the West of England, please refer to the unit information provided by this partner university for the current assessment information.

Resources

If this unit has a Resource List, you will normally find a link to it in the Blackboard area for the unit. Sometimes there will be a separate link for each weekly topic.

If you are unable to access a list through Blackboard, you can also find it via the Resource Lists homepage. Search for the list by the unit name or code (e.g. EMATM0059).

How much time the unit requires
Each credit equates to 10 hours of total student input. For example a 20 credit unit will take you 200 hours of study to complete. Your total learning time is made up of contact time, directed learning tasks, independent learning and assessment activity.

See the Faculty workload statement relating to this unit for more information.

Assessment
The Board of Examiners will consider all cases where students have failed or not completed the assessments required for credit. The Board considers each student's outcomes across all the units which contribute to each year's programme of study. If you have self-certificated your absence from an assessment, you will normally be required to complete it the next time it runs (this is usually in the next assessment period).
The Board of Examiners will take into account any extenuating circumstances and operates within the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes.