Robotic Manipulation and Grasping: Foundations of Hands That Work

Robotic manipulation looks simple when a human watches a robot pick up an object, but the underlying problem is one of the hardest in robotics. Sensing, planning, control, and hardware design all interact in ways that make even basic grasping non-trivial. This course gives you a calm, structured introduction so you can speak confidently about the field. You will learn what kinds of grippers exist, how robots decide where and how to grasp, and how force control keeps interactions safe and stable. The course stays grounded in widely used concepts and respects the messiness of real-world manipulation. What you'll learn: - Understand the main families of robotic end-effectors including parallel grippers, suction, and dexterous hands - Recognize the role of grasp planning, including geometric and learning-based approaches - Explore force control concepts and why they matter for delicate or constrained interactions - Read how perception, including depth sensing and tactile feedback, supports manipulation - Identify the role of motion planning around obstacles and within cluttered scenes - Understand the integration points between manipulation and higher-level robot behavior The course begins with the manipulation problem, moves through end-effectors, grasp planning, force control, and perception, and closes with integration into broader robotic behavior. Written exercises help you reason about each concept in concrete tabletop or industrial scenarios. This course is designed for absolute beginners with no robotics background, including computer science students, mechatronics learners, and software developers exploring physical systems. No prerequisites are needed beyond general comfort with mathematics. The course explains every concept as it appears and stays focused on understanding rather than implementation.