1. Introduction Robotics Challenge
Team 56
Johnson Alex ( )
Abdul-Aziz Alharbi( )
Eniola Kasim ( )
Darren King ( )
Contact details:

2. The main challenge for this part of the Engineering Design module is to programme a Robot(Pololu 3pi) to follow a predefined course
Each group had to code the robot to perform three tasks
It had to follow a light source, then follow a black line and finally balance itself on a seesaw
The Pololu 3pi was programmed using Arduino software and the C programming language

3. Responsibilities Each member had a different responsibility.
Abdul and Johnson had the job of soldering the components onto the circuit board and assigning each members with parts of the report writing
Eniola and Darren had the main task of programming the robot to make sure it performed well on the testing day.

4. This project had two major tasks: 1.Soldering 2.Programming

5. Soldering The circuit board consisted of: 1. resistor 2
Soldering The circuit board consisted of: 1. resistor Light dependent resistors (LDR). 3. wires. 4.accelerometer.

7. Climb seesaw & balance for 5 seconds
Main Objectives
Programme the robot so it would be able to follow the lights, follow the black line and balance itself on a seesaw as shown in the diagram. 2 3 1
Climb seesaw & balance for 5 seconds 5
Line Following
start to finish 4

8. Challenges Encountered

9. Thresholding Testing difficult as lighting was never exactly the same
If voltage never went below threshold the robot would just spin in circles
Used to tell robot when to turn and when to drive towards light
This problem was solved by finding the optimal threshold

10. Counters Counters used to break out of loops
Robot needed a counter to stop light follow and begin line follow
When we used counters the robot got stuck in the infinite loop that was originally supposed to turn robot
Resulted in robot spinning constantly
We were unable to solve this problem

11. Line follower Robot followed line but at exceptionally slow speed
Unsuitable for testing due to 2 minute time limit
Tried to edit existing sample line follower in Arduino library
More successful
Unable to programme line follower in with rest of code
No solution found

12. The Three Main Points
So in conclusion we have discussed the following:
1) The Objective
2) Our Method of Approach
3) The Challenges We Encountered

13. The Objective Programme the Pololu 3pi Robot
Detect and drive towards 3 different light sources and switch them off
Follow the black line outlined on the obstacle course
Balance the robot on a seesaw

14. Our Method of Approach
We decided to tackle each aspect of the course individually.
Three separate pieces of code were written.
We tested each piece of code individually to make sure it worked.
Our final program consisted of these individual pieces of code combined.

15. Problems Encountered
In order to get the robot to move in the obstacle course we had to define thresholds.
Using the correct threshold proved to be difficult as they changed with the robots external environment.
The programme did not exit FOR loops
The Line Following code proved to be unsuccessful.

16. Summary
We managed to successfully write code for the light following and balance aspect of the obstacle course
However, the code we wrote for the Line Follow was unsuccessful.

17. Recommendations for Future Work
Always break down the code into smaller problems
Deal with these one by one
Make use of the LCD screen to display values read in from the robot’s external environment
Practice makes perfect – go through examples
Never hesitate to ask for help or look-up information