Control Engineering for Robotics

By Prof. Chayan Bhawal | IIT Guwahati

Learners enrolled: 2162 | Exam registration: 317

ABOUT THE COURSE:

This course offers a practical and design-oriented approach to classical and modern control theory, with a strong emphasis on applications in robotics. Rather than focusing solely on theoretical aspects, the course is structured to guide students through the process of controller design for dynamic systems, particularly robotic platforms. It is divided into two main components: classical control and modern control. The classical portion begins with system modeling and progresses to the design of P, PI, and PID controllers. The modern control section covers state- space representation, controllability, observability, pole placement, and optimal control using the Linear Quadratic Regulator (LQR).

INTENDED AUDIENCE: Undergraduate BTech/BE, MTech/ME/PhD students in robotics and allied field.

INDUSTRY SUPPORT: Aerospace, Robotics, Drones, Process Engineering, Power Systems based industry

Summary

Course Status :	Ongoing
Course Type :	Elective
Language for course content :	English
Duration :	12 weeks
Category :	Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering Control and Instrumentation
Credit Points :	3
Level :	Undergraduate/Postgraduate
Start Date :	19 Jan 2026
End Date :	10 Apr 2026
Enrollment Ends :	02 Feb 2026
Exam Registration Ends :	20 Feb 2026
Exam Date :	24 Apr 2026 IST
NCrF Level	4.5 — 8.0

Note: This exam date is subject to change based on seat availability. You can check final exam date on your hall ticket.

Page Visits

Course layout

Week 1: Mathematical Modeling of Physical Systems: Introduction to Signals and Systems, Laplace Transform, Transfer function, Mathematical Modeling from first principles for DC motor and 1D-Quadrotor, Transfer functions from experimental measurements in time-domain.

Week 2: Transfer functions and Bode-plot: Response of a system, Bode plots, Finding transfer function using Bode plot, Transfer functions from experimental measurements in frequency-domain.

Week 3: Poles, zeros, and time-domain analysis: Effect of poles and zeros on response, Time domain analysis for first order, second order systems and higher order systems, Steady state error, Experimental demonstration of steady state error.

Week 4: Root locus and System Stability: Introduction to root locus, Root locus of a linearized quadrotor 1D-model, BIBO Stability, PID controller, Effect of PID on a 1D-quadrotor model

Week 5: PID Controller Design: Design of PID controller., MATLAB based design of controllers, Design of speed controller and position controller of DC motor experimentally, Importance of speed control in quadrotors

Week 6: State-space analysis: State-space modeling of system, Solution of state equations, State-space equations of a quadrotor

Week 7: Controllability: Solution of state equations continued, Introduction to controllability, Linearization of the quadrotor model and discussion on controllability

Week 8: Pole placement: Concept of state feedback and pole-placement, Ackermann’s formula, Simulation with the quadrotor example

Week 9: Observers and Observability: State observer (or estimator) design, Separation principle, Observer-based state feedback controller design, Discussions on need of an observer in a quadrotor

Week 10: Introduction to optimal control: Optimal control problem, LQR problem and its Solution, MATLAB Simulation with the quadrotor example

Week 11: Robotic Arm: Controller for a simple robotic arm

Week 12: Drones: Controller for Drones

Books and references

1. N.S. Nise, Control Systems Engineering, Wiley India (special edition), 2018.
2. M. Gopal, Modern Control System Theory, New Age International Publishers, 4th Edition, 2021.
3. K. Ogata, Modern Control Engineering, Pearson, 5th Edition, 2015.
4. M. W. Spong, S. Hutchinson and M. Vidyasagar, “Robot Modeling and Control,” 2nd Edition, Wiley, 2020.
5. John J. Craig, “Introduction to Robotics,” Pearson; 3rd Edition, 2004.

Instructor bio

Prof. Chayan Bhawal

IIT Guwahati

Dr. Chayan Bhawal is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Electronics and Electrical Engineering at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Guwahati and an Associate Faculty at the Centre for Intelligent Cyber-Physical Systems. He earned his Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from IIT Bombay in 2019, following a B.E. in Electronics and Telecommunication Engineering from Assam Engineering College. His research interests encompass optimal control, differential-algebraic systems, model order reduction, multi-agent systems, and control applications in robotics, including unmanned aerial, ground, and underwater vehicles. Dr. Bhawal has also contributed as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Max Planck Institute for Dynamics of Complex Technical Systems in Germany. At IIT Guwahati, he teaches courses such as Control Systems, Linear Systems Theory, and Control Engineering for Robotics.

Course certificate

The course is free to enroll and learn from. But if you want a certificate, you have to register and write the proctored exam conducted by us in person at any of the designated exam centres.

The exam is optional for a fee of Rs 1000/- (Rupees one thousand only).

Date and Time of Exams: April 24, 2026 Morning session 9am to 12 noon; Afternoon Session 2pm to 5pm.

Registration url: Announcements will be made when the registration form is open for registrations.

The online registration form has to be filled and the certification exam fee needs to be paid. More details will be made available when the exam registration form is published. If there are any changes, it will be mentioned then.

Please check the form for more details on the cities where the exams will be held, the conditions you agree to when you fill the form etc.

CRITERIA TO GET A CERTIFICATE

Average assignment score = 25% of average of best 8 assignments out of the total 12 assignments given in the course.
Exam score = 75% of the proctored certification exam score out of 100

Final score = Average assignment score + Exam score

Please note that assignments encompass all types (including quizzes, programming tasks, and essay submissions) available in the specific week.

YOU WILL BE ELIGIBLE FOR A CERTIFICATE ONLY IF AVERAGE ASSIGNMENT SCORE >=10/25 AND EXAM SCORE >= 30/75. If one of the 2 criteria is not met, you will not get the certificate even if the Final score >= 40/100.

Certificate will have your name, photograph and the score in the final exam with the breakup.It will have the logos of NPTEL and IIT Guwahati .It will be e-verifiable at nptel.ac.in/noc.

Only the e-certificate will be made available. Hard copies will not be dispatched.

Once again, thanks for your interest in our online courses and certification. Happy learning.

- NPTEL team

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