Postgraduate Diploma in Impedance/Admittance and Controlled Contact
Online Postgraduate Diploma of 800 h in Impedance/Admittance and Controlled Contact. 8 modules covering ISO/TS 15066:2016, ISO 10218-1:2025 and ROS 2 with ros2_control. Assigned tutor and open enrolment.
Take the controls.
Run a real engineering trade-off from this field. Move the sliders, watch the model react in real time and beat the challenge.
What you will be able to do
Model the physical interaction between robot and environment.
Formulate the manipulator dynamics in operational space.
Design stable impedance controllers.
Implement admittance control in industrial robots.
Manage transitions and impacts in contact tasks.
Apply learning from demonstration with variable stiffness.
Validate interaction controllers on real robots.
Who it's for
- Robotics control engineer who wants to specialise in Impedance/Admittance and Controlled Contact.
- Physical interaction researcher who wants to specialise in Impedance/Admittance and Controlled Contact.
- Robot software developer who wants to specialise in Impedance/Admittance and Controlled Contact.
- Medical robotics engineer who wants to specialise in Impedance/Admittance and Controlled Contact.
- Contact application integrator who wants to specialise in Impedance/Admittance and Controlled Contact.
- R&D engineer in cobots who wants to specialise in Impedance/Admittance and Controlled Contact.
- Engineering or science graduates seeking to enter industrial robotics.
What you'll work with
- ISO/TS 15066:2016
- ISO 10218-1:2025
- ISO 13482:2014
- IEC 80601-2-78:2019
- ISO 9283:1998
- ISO 13849-1:2023
8 modules · 800 h
1.1Contact tasks in robotics1.2Rigid and elastic contact models1.3Environment stiffness and damping1.4Interaction forces and stability1.5Position–force duality1.6Rigid versus flexible robots1.7Passivity and energy1.8Hardware requirements for interaction control1.9Overview of interaction controllers1.10Workshop: modelling a mass-spring contact
2.1Joint-space dynamic model2.2Operational-space model2.3Cartesian inertia matrix2.4Gravity and Coriolis compensation2.5Identification of dynamic parameters2.6Friction and its compensation2.7Series elastic actuators2.8Joint torque control2.9Dynamic simulation with MuJoCo2.10Practice: dynamic identification of an arm
3.1Formulation of mechanical impedance3.2Six-degree Cartesian impedance3.3Choosing stiffness, damping and inertia3.4Impedance with and without force sensor3.5Task-dependent variable impedance3.6Stability and passivity3.7Impedance in the null space3.8Implementation on torque-controlled robots3.9Practical implementation limitations3.10Laboratory: Cartesian impedance on a Franka
4.1Formulation of admittance4.2Admittance on position-controlled robots4.3Outer force loop4.4Stability against rigid environments4.5Filtering of force measurements4.6Variable admittance for guidance4.7Manual guidance by admittance4.8Comparison between impedance and admittance4.9Implementation in industrial robots4.10Practice: manual guidance on an industrial robot
5.1Transition from free space to contact5.2Impact control5.3Surface tracking5.4Maintaining normal force5.5Hybrid control with impedance5.6Polishing and deburring tasks5.7Insertion and assembly with impedance5.8Handling deformable objects5.9Measuring task quality5.10Case study: tracking a curved surface
6.1Kinaesthetic learning from demonstration6.2Dynamic movement primitives (DMP)6.3Learning stiffness profiles6.4Physical human-robot interaction6.5Haptic teleoperation with feedback6.6Exoskeletons and rehabilitation6.7Safety in physical interaction6.8Biomechanical limits in physical interaction6.9User perception6.10Laboratory: DMPs with learned stiffness
7.1Control frequencies and real-time operation7.2ros2_control and force controllers7.3FRI interfaces and libfranka7.4Experimental parameter tuning7.5Stability tests7.6Measurement of contact forces7.7Safety validation in contact7.8Controller documentation7.9Transfer from simulation to real7.10Case study: tuning a controller on the shop floor
8.1Selection of the contact task8.2Modelling the robot and environment8.3Controller design8.4Behaviour simulation8.5Implementation on a real robot8.6Stability and accuracy tests8.7Controller safety analysis8.8Experimental results report8.9Thesis and presentation8.10Final review with the tutor
How you'll learn
Fully 100 % online training on the SEIUM campus, with downloadable material, recorded classes and an assigned technical tutor. There are no fixed timetables: students progress at their own pace within the intake, which makes it easy to combine with work.
Each module combines theory, guided reading of the original standard and applied exercises. The software used is ROS 2 with ros2_control, MuJoCo, MATLAB/Simulink, libfranka, Pinocchio, in free, academic or evaluation versions. Case studies cover real procedures for tuning impedance controllers on real robots, stability tests under rigid contact, and manual guidance by admittance. Assessment is continuous per module plus the final integrating project.
Build it end to end
Your final project follows the real engineering workflow, step by step, reviewed by your tutor.
Model the physical interaction between robot and environment.
Formulate the manipulator dynamics in operational space.
Design stable impedance controllers.
Implement admittance control in industrial robots.
Manage transitions and impacts in contact tasks.
Where this takes you
Requirements
- Prior technical training or professional experience in the sector. A university degree is not required.
- Internet connection and a computer capable of running the programme's software.
- Sufficient level of Spanish to follow the reading of technical standards.
Ready to start?
Send your application today. Our admissions team replies within 72 hours with your study plan and funding options.
Frequently asked questions
The programme totals 800 hours spread over 6 to 8 months. That is between 10 and 15 hours per week on average, compatible with a full-time job.
You work with ROS 2 with ros2_control, MuJoCo, MATLAB/Simulink, libfranka, Pinocchio. Free, academic or evaluation versions are used, and the tutor indicates the free alternative where one exists.
A SEIUM own diploma upon passing the continuous assessment and the integrating project. It is in-house training, not an official qualification from the Ministry.
Yes. Modules passed in a course or postgraduate diploma in the same area are recognised in the higher programme. Check the recognition policy when you enrol.
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