Phase 5: Motion & Control
A robot can see its environment perfectly — but if it can't move smoothly and purposefully, it's still useless. Phase 5 is about motion: how to calculate what angles joints need to be at, how to plan a safe path through an environment, and how to use feedback loops to make movements precise and stable even when things don't go perfectly.
Motion is the output of everything else
All the perception, planning, and AI in the world is meaningless if the robot can't execute a movement reliably. The three topics in this phase — kinematics, path planning, and PID control — are the foundation of every moving robot ever built.
1. Robot Kinematics
Forward kinematics: "Given these joint angles, where is the end effector?" Inverse kinematics: "To reach this point in space, what angles do I set?" The math behind every robotic arm.
Explore Kinematics →2. Path Planning & Navigation
A*, Dijkstra, RRT, and behavior trees. How a robot decides on a path from A to B while avoiding obstacles — from 2D grid maps to 3D configuration spaces.
Explore Path Planning →3. Control Systems & PID
PID (Proportional-Integral-Derivative) control is the most-used algorithm in engineering. Learn how a feedback loop corrects errors in motor speed, robot balance, and temperature — in real time.
Explore PID Control →Frequently Asked Questions
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