In this free online course, learn what you need to develop a 'thinking' robot with its own artificial neural network.

The benefits from robots use in industry has been to aid large-scale production and assist with hazardous tasks. Now, further advancements have emerged and a different kind of robot is being developed. Called a ‘cognitive robot’, it is expected to work with society and eventually understand human behaviour. This course is designed to help you recognise what is needed to create this future robot.

First, you will learn about ‘smart materials’, which can be used to create artificial muscle-like limbs for robots, along with smart sensors and actuators that can help the robot interact with its environment. You will then be introduced to the fascinating world of cognitive science as you study the human brain's make-up and the human central nervous system (CNS). At the core of the course, you will learn about neurons, how you can model the neuron action potential, and how neurons interact with each other in an oscillatory neural network (ONN).

Finally, you will learn more about the concept of ‘intelligence’ and different intelligence theories, along with an understanding of what is required from an artificial intelligence (AI) system. Study ‘intelligent agents’ and how you can impart intelligence and cognition to robots. Finally, you will analyse a few case studies related to child-robot interaction and how to use EEG (electroencephalogram) tests to map how the brain can interact with the external world. This detailed course on the foundations of cognitive robotics will give you a good grounding in the future of robots and their use in society.