1. Autonomous Design for PCC’s Robotics Challenge Entry
Autonomous Pathfinding
Autonomous Design for PCC’s Robotics Challenge Entry

2. Autonomous Pathfinding
Project Goals
Organization
Planning
Implementation
Results
Lessons Learned
CoSGC for Me

3. Project Goals
Autonomous Navigation
Durability
Longevity
Agility
Speed

4. Organization
Public Domain Image Harvested from

5. Planning

6. Planning
Obstacle Detection
Pathfinding A*
Wavefront

7. Planning

8. Planning
One Map Error

9. Planning
WaveFront Algorithm
Create a cell grid
Insert Beacon “2”
Insert Robot “500”
Insert Obstacles “1”
Start at “2” cell
Add all adjacent cells to buffer
Starting at first cell in buffer add 1 to current cell value, eg “2+1=3” if empty
Add this cells neighbors to buffer's tail
Go to next cell in buffer, add 1 to current cell value

10. Planning

11. Planning
Obstacle Trigger Points
IMU sensing 45* tilt
Front Wheel Sensors
Hole Sensor
Rock Sensor
Main IR turret too high to sense all obstacles
Solved with front IR sensors

12. Implementation

13. Implementation
Mapping Code
Pathfinding Code bugs
Calibration Techniques
RAM Requirements
Manual Control
Easy Transfer Library

14. Implementation

15. Implementation

16. Results

18. Results
Performance
Great on kitchen floor
Great on Shop floor
Okay in Campus Backyard
Not so good on sand
High centering on rocks
Bottoming out
Software
Pathfinder Buggy
Looking into sun saturates IR sensors
Poor soldering on front IR sensors caused “Ghost Obstacles”

19. Lessons Learned
More Robust Chassis
Hole detection needs redesign
Schedule needs to be made and kept
Simpler Software may be useful
More powerful computer may be needed
Need closed loop control of movement

20. CoSGC for Me
Before
No previous knowledge of microcontrollers
Not a programmer
General ignorance in field of automation
After
Built 3D printer
Own Raspberry Pi
Printing Quadcopter
Automated Greenhouse
5 axis Milling Machine