Our Goals
Design
To create a design which focuses on usability and expandability for future developers.
Mobility
To implement manual control via joystick given a differential drive system.
Safety
To create a product that will not be harmful to itself, obstacles it encounters, or passerby.
Problem Overview
To allow future students the chance to develop advanced robotic projects, a robust base product needs to exist. Currently the CS and EE departments of Northern Arizona University do not have a large robotic base that open to student modification. Pre-built solutions would be overly expensive, while a robot custom-built with used parts would be cost effective. A large robotics project that is not only cheap but also highly visible in the NAU engineering department will be able to attract the attention of companies and future students as well.
Solution Overview
Our team has researched, assembled, and constructed a large robotic base to use for future projects. Key functionalites the team has identified include cost effectiveness, robustness, and a capability of movement given user inputs. The basic system our team has outlined to solve our problems involves
- - Using microcontrollers that send signals to motors through motor controller circuits
- - Designing a circuit capable of powering the motors, sensors, and microcontrollers
- - Installing sensors that obtain wheel movement and laser scan data for the facilitation of navigation
- - Building housing and shelving capable of holding internal circuitry safely and with proper heat mitigation allowances
- - Creating a mount and wheel system that exhibits a level of stability and traction that meets team expectations
Below is a diagram of our solution architecture. Each component is sorted into one or more of three modules: Power, Logic, and Movement.
Browse our documentation and view our implementation page for more information on the work our team has accomplished.