Design Considerations

Traversing the Range & Ball Collection

To autonomously sweep an entire driving range, the robot divides the field into configurable grid cells and executes systematic back‑and‑forth paths using GPS/IMU fusion for coarse localization and wheel odometry for fine corrections. Its front‑mounted helical intake rollers lift stray balls onto an angled ramp, funneling them into a transparent hopper while shedding grass and debris. The roller geometry and motor torque are tuned to achieve >90 % pick‑up efficiency with minimal jamming, even on slightly uneven or damp turf.

Integrated Cleaning & Drying

Once inside the hopper, balls are metered into a rotating, sponge‑lined drum that gently scrubs away dirt. A ring of micro‑nozzles sprays recirculated cleaning solution to tackle stubborn grime, and a high‑pressure air‑knife module dries each ball before it exits into the final storage tray. Fluid‑level and dry‑air sensors ensure consistent cleaning performance, while a closed‑loop pump system minimizes water usage and keeps the platform lightweight and compact. 

Contributions

I led stakeholder interviews to distill key user needs—prioritizing full‑range coverage, low maintenance, and reliable cleaning—and translated these into a grid‑based sweep strategy for our prototype chassis. On the Robot Car, I simulated and tested the algorithm in-house, demonstrating systematic back‑and‑forth coverage without gaps or excessive overlap and achieving smooth lane transitions with consistent course adherence across varied turf conditions .

On the hardware side, I assembled and integrated all sensors and drive electronics, calibrated our MPU‑6050 IMU and NEO‑M9N GPS, and fused their data via a PID‑controlled feedback loop to steer the four‑wheel differential drive. In field trials, the robot held a mean positional error of just 1.5 m over 20 × 40 m straight‑line runs and limited 90° and 180° turn errors to under 3°, enabling precise, overlap‑free coverage for both collection and cleaning tasks