Relevant Files
Project
Details
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Date: Spring 2024
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Organization: Stevens Institute of Technology
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Objective: Build a robot to automatically traverse an obstacle course.
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Key elements: 3D printed chassis, arduino with ultrasonic sensors and motor drivers, lidar mast, battery
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Role: Team leader
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Achievements:
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Fully custom designed chassis optimized for stability, low turning radius, and quick print time
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Full integration and wiring of entire robot
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Arduino code including a wifi connection, vector analysis for target tracking using LIDAR coordinates, obstacle avoidance loop using ultrasonic sensor data
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Stevens Self-Guided Robot Competition
Notes
For my first year introduction to engineering course, I was tasked with the design and construction of a fully autonomous robot. Our objective was to make a robot that would be able to traverse a course autonomously, being able to reach targets on the course while avoiding obstacles. Going into the project, I had essentially no prior experience in 3D modelling, coding, or even using power tools. Every skill I needed to use, I was using for the first time. I took this challenge with excitement, knowing that this was the perfect opportunity to learn the ins and outs of the engineering design process.
As this was a group project, my first goal was to get myself and my two group-mates on the same page and well organized for the semester. I made sure that we would have concrete goals for every class, and that we would have designated work days to meet up in the lab and make progress as a group. The next major step in the timeline was to design and 3d print a chassis for the robot. We originally settled on a design which gave us lots of room to securely screw in every part of the electronics setup, however we iterated on this design quite a bit, settling on a much more compact version that was slightly harder to handle, but allowed the robot to make much tighter turns without bumping into obstacles.
Once our hardware was fully assembled, the second major portion of the project began, which was coding in arduino. Our final code was the result of many weeks of learning and testing. The end design took in coordinates given to us via a lidar map of the obstacle course the robot would traverse. We then used a startup procedure which inched the vehicle forward, and then calculated a difference in angles between the vector from its start to current position, between the vector from its current position to the target. We would then turn the robot’s motors based on a conversion factor from angles to seconds of turn, which we obtained through experimental testing. The robot would run this loop continuously, constantly correcting its course. We also used a collision avoidance system. If the robot detected an obstacle in front of one of its 3 ultrasonic sensors placed around it, it would briefly exit the loop, and turn towards a direction given by an ultrasonic sensor without an obstacle in front of it, before restarting the loop. Once close to a target, the robot would switch into an inching mode, making slow movements until it detected it was on top of the target, upon which it would switch to the next target in the course. Once it had reached the fourth and last target, it would stop.
In the end, our vehicle not only traversed the course without any collisions, but we were also one of the fastest groups, and were invited to compete at a separate, university wide competition. My first foray into the world of engineering was complete, with many late night lab hours culminating in a successful end product! I took great pride in the robustness of our hardware, with every part laid out to be easily accessible and secure, as well as the success of our software leading to fast times. This project taught me so much about how to design with a goal in mind and with constraints. I learned how to use so many things necessary for engineering, such as CAD, 3D printing software, and Arduino, as well as how to lead a team and make sure deadlines were met.
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