Hardware Sponsors National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS) NASA New York City Research Initiative (NYCRI New Jersey Space Grant Consortium (NJSGC) Team Members ) Dr. Haim Baruh – Principal Investigator Mariano Buttitta – High School Teacher Joe DiDomenico – Undergraduate Student Pranav Subramanian – High School Student Nour Srouji – High School Student Special thanks to Han Sun Our VehiclesWhat is an Autonomous Vehicle? Current Research Goals Color Tracking Programming “An autonomous vehicle is one that is able to operate independently of human control through feedback returned by various sensors. These vehicles are often used to reduce problems, risks and costs that arise from human involvement.” Source: Merersky, Josh, Quan, Richard, Wu, David. Autonomous Vehicle Control. Rutgers University, 1 May Web ➢ Heavily modified remote control cars Only chassis, wheels, and rear-wheel motor of original cars are used Outfitted with new electrical system, front-wheel steering servo, and sensor array Steering assembly modified to increase turning radius ➢ ➢ ➢ ➢ The CMUcam4 uses a color tracking system based on the RGB color cube. The camera is programmed to detected a range of desired colors. When the camera detects an object within the specified color range, it “tracks” the object. The pan servo then angles camera mounting system to keep the object centered in its field of view. ➢ ➢ ➢ ➢ Problem A: Camera is sensitive to changes in ambient light ➢ Lightintensityaffectscamera’sperceptionoftracked object’s color camera often loses sight of tracked object when entering a room with different ambient lighting ➢ ➢ Solution: Using a photoresistor ➢ varies resistance based on ambient light color tracking parameters can be altered based on level of ambient light detected ➢ ➢ Problem B: Camera motion is limited to left/right panning ➢ Camera loses sight of objects that are too far above or below its field of vision Vehicle can only follow objects on a flat, level surface ➢ ➢ Solution: Adding a tilt servo ➢ Allows camera to tilt up and down Creates the potential for travel on uneven natural surfaces ➢ ➢ Arduino: ➢ Processes code ➢ Receives commands ➢ Motor Shield: ➢ Distributes signals from Arduino ➢ Distributes power from the battery to sensors and motors ➢ Servos: ➢ Can rotate and stop anywhere in a 180 degree range ➢ Control front wheel steering and camera panning ➢ Ping: ➢ Sends and receives ultrasonic waves to calculate its distance from a target ➢ Arduino uses this data to set an appropriate distance from the lead vehicle ➢ CMUcam4: ➢ 30 FPS camera ➢ Features embedded color tracking ➢ DC Motor: ➢ Propels vehicle in forward or reverse ➢ Capable of running at various speeds ➢ Setup (happens once at the beginning of the program) ➢ Establishes color tracking parameters Initializes the color tracking process Establishes motor speed ➢ ➢ ➢ Loop (happens continuously) ➢ Pingcalculatesdistancebetweenvehicleandtracked object Motor moves the vehicle forward, reverse it, or stops it depending on the distance Front wheel steering servo aligns with camera's pan servo ➢ ➢ ➢ To successfully create a convoy of autonomous vehicles that use a variety of sensing methods To demonstrate the feasibility of autonomous vehicle control systems for possible real world applications ➢