µCHIP Micro-Controlled High-tech Independent Putter

Introduction Project goal: Develop a robot that can play miniature golf autonomously. Main functions: –Locate and approach golf ball –Locate hole and turn to face it –Determine the distance to the hole –Strike the ball with the appropriate force to sink the putt.

System Components MAVRIC-IIB board with ATmega128 2 DC gearmotors with caster wheel 2 mechanical bump switches 1-2 Sharp GP2D02 IR sensors CMUcam color digital camera 12V rechargeable battery pack

Platform Design 2 drive wheels with caster for balance Bump switches Putting surface centered behind wheels to enable CHIP to spin around the ball to find the hole

Obstacle Avoidance Bump switches for immediate response Sharp GP2D02 IR sensor(s) for remote object detection and avoidance (10 – 80 cm)

Sharp IR Sensors

CMUcam Used to: –Detect white golf ball on green turf –Center the ball between the drive wheels using servo to follow ball –Locate the hole (lalrge orange ball mounted to pole)

Behaviors (1) Locate ball with camera – spin in place and look up and down with servo (2) Drive towards ball avoiding obstacles (3) Center ball between drive wheels using camera (4) Spin around ball to locate hole with camera (5) Determine distance to hole by computing the size of the ball in pixels (6) Back away from ball and drive forward with the appropriate speed (using PWM) to sink the putt