1. CajunBot: Tech Challenges
Arun Lakhotia
University of Louisiana at Lafayette

2. Race Track

3. Terrain

4. Recap: Route Definition

5. Quiz: Challenges?

6. Challenges Electro-Mechanical Control Electronic Controller Steering
Geo-Location
Sensors
Detecting obstacles
Navigating around obstacles
Distributing computation
Integrating multiple expertise
Testing…. Testing … Testing

7. Control Loop Path Planning. Obstacle Detection. Robot Controller.
Hardware Drivers.

8. Data Flow Architecture
Obstacle
detection
Laser
PosMV
Path
Planning
Robot
Controller
Steering
module
Drivers
Formatted
sensor data
3-D terrain
of obstacles
Path to
follow
Commands
controlling
device
Raw

9. CajunBot

12. Motion controls of CajunBot
Left brake
Right brake
Gear

13. Issue: Computer Control?
Left brake
Right brake
Gear
Actuator
Computer

14. Issue: Where am I?
GPS

15. Issue: Where am I facing?
Electronic Compass

16. Issue: Eyes?
Laser

17. Issue: Seeing ditches?
Point Laser

19. Path Planning Represent the world in grid form.
Assign to each node of grid world with a reward, that specifies its distance from target point.
Starting from robot’s current node(position) select the adjacent node with highest reward and set it has node on path(i.e which is more close to target).

20. Field Testing Exhausting Expensive Non-decomposable
Run behind the vehicle
Expensive
Each iteration make take half hour
Non-decomposable
Cannot test components in isolation

21. Virtual Testing Simulate robot and environment Same input output data
Transparent to software

22. Lets look at simulation

23. Next Challenge October 2005 Looking for partners
Differentiating rocks and bushes
Improving simulator
Improving analysis of test results
Managing test results
Better front end for managing processes

24. Questions ?
Thank you,
The CajunBot Team