Goal:
To design and build a machine that can autonomously navigate an arena and push walls to the opponents side.
Background:
Develop, test, and implement a machine that will participate in a game that involves pushing walls down lanes against the opposing team.
Solution:
The ME218B Machine is our robot designed to utilize ultrasonic sensors, reflector sensors, and a beacon detector to autonomously navigate an arena and push walls against opposing bots.
Gameplay
IMG_0959.MOVCore Functionalities
Beacon Detection
IR beacons were placed at the 4 corners of the arena, each emitting a different frequency of IR light. Our robot uses a signal conditioning circuit to calculate the frequency of IR light received and determine which side of the arena it began on.
Ultrasonic Control
Two ultrasonics, one on each side of the robot, were used to steer our robot by keeping it aligned with walls and helping it turn 90 degrees. A third ultrasonic on the rear was used to avoid collision when coming out of a lane.
Tape Detection
Four reflectance sensors are mounted underneath the robot to detect the tape in each lane. By placing them near the front and at the center of the robot, the sensors aided with lane alignment and navigation between lanes.
User Selection
Our team chose to include three buttons, each representing a lane on the arena. The robot waits for user input to select the next target lane. Our code then uses the current location and calculates how to move to the target lane.
Robot Design Inspiration
Our team wanted to have a groovy, eye poppin' theme. After weeks of consideration we decided to go with the mystery gangs iconic vehicle, The Mystery Machine. Our logo imitates that of the mystery machine along with our robots walls colored the same as The Mystery Machine. While our robot wont be solving mysteries, it will be solving location and navigation puzzles using its gang of sensors to help guide it along the way to beat the competition.
