1. Project Micromouse: Minitaur
Team Excelsior

2. MEET THE TEAM! Emilia Holbik Devon Griggs Devin Helmgren Janel Raab
Fall 2013 Team Lead
Emilia Holbik
Devon Griggs
Computer Science
Electrical Engineer
Devin Helmgren
Janel Raab
Computer Science
Electrical Engineer

3. Primary Adviser: Wayne Lu, PhD
Secondary Adviser: Tammy VanDeGrift, PhD
Client: Wayne Lu, PhD and University of Portland IEEE Chapter
Industrial Adviser: Leon Clark, Urban Robotics

4. IEEE APEC Conference: Micromouse Competition
Fort Worth, TX ~ March 17, 2014
National and International Competition: autonomous and self-reliant robotic
PURPOSE:
Create a qualifying Micromouse robot for the Region 6 Micromouse Competition
To provide the foundation for future optimization

5. The Competition!
The maze is 16x16 multiples of an 18cm x 18 cm unit square
The mircomouse must fit in a 25cm x 25cm square region
The micromouse has a time limit of 7 minutes on the maze, in which it may make up to 7 runs
If the micromouse is “touched” points will be lost
The micromouse can make it way back to the start of the maze autonomously
In between runs the micromouse must wait a minimum of 1s.
The square the micromouse starts at will always have 3 walls
The micromouse shall not be fed the maze information

6. Block Diagram of Minitaur

7. Motor System Block Diagram

8. Optical Sensors Block Diagram

9. Parts Ordered!! Microcontroller: PIC18F452 Motor Driver: TA8080K
IR Sensors: Sharp GP2D120 (Short – 3)
Sharp GP2Y0A02YK(Long – 1)
Motor: 100:1 Micro Metal Gearmotor
Encoder: Optical Encoder
Wheels: Solarbotics RW2i Wheel
Maze: small plywood test maze

10. The Biggest Concerns So Far…
Problem: Incompatible Parts
Solution: Minitaur will be constructed so that it can use various types of parts as needed. Also a prototype will be constructed first, to ensure the parts are compatible
Problem: Software does not fit in limited capacity of the device
Solution: Use a bigger memory capacity microcontroller or a different microcontroller
Problem: Improper tracking and sensor reading
Solution: Intensive testing, small scale and large scale to ensure that the sensors are working correctly

11. Milestones to Fall Semester
Final Budget Request from Shiley School (10/1/13)
Functional Specification Final v1.0 (10/4/13)
Minitaur turns on (10/20/13)
Autonomous Algorithm Decided (10/27/13)
Minitaur can sense a wall (10/30/13)
Minitaur drives straight (11/3/13)
Maze Traversal Algorithm Implemented (11/10/13)
Design Document Final v1.0 (11/15/13)
Minitaur turns left and right (11/17/13)
Maze information can be stored (11/24/13)
Maze Traversal optimized (12/8/13)
Send PCB Layout to be Fabricated (12/8/13)

12. Milestones to Fall Semester
Minitaur Traverses Back to Start (1/19/14)
Minitaur Traverses Fastest Route (1/26/14)
First Full System Test, Debrief, Bug Fixing (2/2/14)
Full System Test 2, Debrief, Bug Fixing (2/16/14)
Full System Test 3, Debrief, Bug Fixing (3/2/14)
Full System Test 4, Debrief, Bug Fixing (3/9/14)
APEC IEEE Micromouse Competition (3/17/14)
Final Report v1.0 (4/4/14)
Founder’s Day Presentation (4/8/14)

13. Conclusion

14. QUESTIONS???