Fundamentals of Robot Programming

The tutorial “Fundamentals of Robot Programming” is for students of the Master program mechanical engineering and business administration and engineering with an interest in industrial robots and automation. The tutorial covers the theoretical basics of kinematics and the reference systems used in the context of robotics as well as the practical online and offline programming of industrial robots in the research lab for production technologies (TEC-Lab) as well as the Laboratory for Collaborative Robotics at IRM.

Organizational

Event-type Tutorium (Master)
Cycle every semester
Time frame 4 Credit Points in Full-Time Study
Language German
Dates Practical part: 28 September 2026 to 9 October 2026
(daily from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.)
Oral Exam: 16.10.2026
Begin 28.09.2026
Lecturer Joans Zarges, M. Sc.
Arjang Ahmadi, M.Sc. (IRM)
Janis Lenz, M.Sc. (IRM)
Collaboration The tutorial “Fundamentals of Robot Programming” is held in collaboration with the Institut für Robotische Systeme im Maschinenbau – IRM (opens in new tab).
Room L1|10 1.18

Registration

Registration period 1 September 2026 to 28 September 2026
Registration process Registration via contact person with waiting list

Participation in the tutorial is only possible if you enroll in the Moodle course “Tutorial: Fundamentals of Robot Programming” by the registration deadline. Self-enrollment will be available from 1 September 2026.

The Moodle course is available at the following Link (opens in new tab).
(Alternatively, you can find it in the Moodle course catalog: Courses > Winter Semester 2026/27 > Department 16 Mechanical Engineering)

Only when you have received a confirmation email from the department you must register for the course and the exam in TUCaN. If you only register via TUCaN and are not registered at the department, your registration is considered invalid and will be removed from the TUCaN registration. If there are more registrations than the maximum number of participants, a selection will be made with regard to the order of registration.
Participant numbers Maximum 16

Exam

Examination notes Oral Exam:
16.10.2026

No aids other than a document-proof blue or black pen are permitted for the examination.
Please remember to bring your current student ID and a valid official photo ID.
Announcement of notes The grades will be announced via TUCaN (opens in new tab).

Content

Aims At the end of the tutorial, students will be able to:
  • describe the used robot system and the functions of the individual components
  • point out the dangers of operating industrial robots
  • make the robot move in the different operating modes
  • reproduce the different coordinate systems and describe their relationship
  • measure bases and tools to use them in programming
  • program motion sequences online and offline on industrial robots
Contents
  1. Safety instructions
  2. Basics of the operating units
    Teach pendant, user interface
  3. Configuration
    Tool/base, work areas, operating modes
  4. Coordinate systems
    Overview, robot movement
  5. Measurement
    Different methods to determine tool and base
  6. Programme management
    File manager, programme operation (selection, deselection, override)
  7. Movements
    Different movement types (PTP, LIN, CIRC…)
  8. Programming
    Movement, logic instructions
Previous knowledge / training Generic programming skills (e.g., if-, for-loops) are required and will be implemented during the tutorial using the newly learned robot-specific programming language.
Skript, Tutorials All documents are provided in the Moodle course. This includes the slides with all relevant information, sample code and further documents.

Contact

  Name Contact
Jonas Zarges M.Sc.
TEC | Manufacturing Technology
+49 6151 8229-747
L1|17 (AMC) 101