S17: Sphero Droid
Contents
Grading Criteria
- How well is Software & Hardware Design described?
- How well can this report be used to reproduce this project?
- Code Quality
- Overall Report Quality:
- Software Block Diagrams
- Hardware Block Diagrams
- Schematic Quality
- Quality of technical challenges and solutions adopted.
Project Title
Sphero Droid
Abstract
Robots are revolutionizing almost every industry, primarily in the sectors where human safety is at risk. In hazardous working conditions such as in the mining industry, the lack of knowledge about the geographic nature and the environmental conditions of the mine hinder the rescue operations. Autonomous robots are being employed to improve the plight of mine workers and rescue operators. The robotic vehicle can explore the inaccessible and unworkable mines and disaster-affected areas and send valuable information to the teams to assist in search and rescue operations. But traditional robots could be rendered useless if they are overturned or in terrains having staircases and ledges. Also, there is a possibility of failure of the electrical and mechanical components exposed to the harsh environmental conditions. An autonomous spherical robot is a better option since its shape offers better robustness and rigidity. The spherical robot will enclose all the components within it and will not have any wheels or legs on its exterior. This feature enables it to operate in any hazardous conditions since there will be very less chance for the components to get damaged by the surrounding environment. The spherical design allows it to easily maneuver in different types of terrain, be it stairs or corners, and have no risk of being overturned. These advantages enable the robot for many applications such as exploration and mapping of access routes, surveillance and rescue operations in uncomfortable working conditions.
Objectives & Introduction
The objective of this project is to design an autonomous spherical robot with sensors, Global Positioning System (GPS) module, Bluetooth module and other control units interfaced to the microcontroller, which navigates its way to the destination avoiding obstacles. The temperature, pressure and the route followed by the robot can be logged on the SD card. These features enable the robot for many applications such as exploration and mapping of access routes, surveillance and rescue operations in uncomfortable working conditions.
Team Members & Responsibilities
- Harshitha Bura
- Naveen Kumar Bhuthakatanahalli Ramalingaiah
- Shivam Chauhan
- Sushma Nagaraj
- Virginia Menezes
Schedule
| Week# | Start Date | End Date | Task | Status | Actual Completion Date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3/21 | 3/27 |
|
Done | 3/29 | |
| 2 | 3/28 | 4/3 |
|
Done | 4/9 | |
| 3 | 4/9 | 4/18 |
|
In Progress | ||
| 4 | 4/18 | 4/25 |
|
Plan | ||
| 5 | 4/25 | 5/2 |
|
Plan | ||
| 6 | 5/2 | 5/9 |
|
Plan | ||
| 7 | 5/9 | 5/16 |
|
Plan | ||
| 8 | 5/16 | 5/23 |
|
Plan |
Parts List & Cost
Give a simple list of the cost of your project broken down by components. Do not write long stories here.
Design & Implementation
The design section can go over your hardware and software design. Organize this section using sub-sections that go over your design and implementation.
Hardware Design
Discuss your hardware design here. Show detailed schematics, and the interface here.
Hardware Interface
In this section, you can describe how your hardware communicates, such as which BUSes used. You can discuss your driver implementation here, such that the Software Design section is isolated to talk about high level workings rather than inner working of your project.
Software Design
Show your software design. For example, if you are designing an MP3 Player, show the tasks that you are using, and what they are doing at a high level. Do not show the details of the code. For example, do not show exact code, but you may show psuedocode and fragments of code. Keep in mind that you are showing DESIGN of your software, not the inner workings of it.
Implementation
This section includes implementation, but again, not the details, just the high level. For example, you can list the steps it takes to communicate over a sensor, or the steps needed to write a page of memory onto SPI Flash. You can include sub-sections for each of your component implementation.
Testing & Technical Challenges
Describe the challenges of your project. What advise would you give yourself or someone else if your project can be started from scratch again? Make a smooth transition to testing section and described what it took to test your project.
Include sub-sections that list out a problem and solution, such as:
My Issue #1
Discuss the issue and resolution.
Conclusion
Conclude your project here. You can recap your testing and problems. You should address the "so what" part here to indicate what you ultimately learnt from this project. How has this project increased your knowledge?
Project Video
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Project Source Code
References
Acknowledgement
Any acknowledgement that you may wish to provide can be included here.
References Used
List any references used in project.
Appendix
You can list the references you used.
