Egr100
Fall 1999
Ileana Streinu
Doreen Weinberger
Lab 4
Today's Topics
- Rigidity, theory and practice. Short discussion around the
box project from Lab 3.
- Main topic: Robot navigation.
- Random walking. Using touch sensors for bumpers: obstacle detection.
- Path following using light sensors.
- The Mindstorms round-track: turning in one direction
only. One light sensor suffices.
- Following the white path in the maze: turning in both
directions. Solutions with one light sensor and with two light
sensors.
- Combining path following navigation with obstacle detection.
- Limitations: class discussion at wrap-up time.
- What other sensors might be useful?
- How to satisfy the requirements for the
Fire-fighting robot competition
: robot should navigate without touching the walls of the maze.
- Advanced topics: motion planning. Navigation from a starting
point to a destination when the floor plan is given in
advance. Robot has to "compute" the route and to follow it. Need
more advanced programming!
What to do
- Round-track following robot:
Use the robot you have designed for Hw3 (with a light
sensor). Program it. Download the program. Calibrate the light
sensor. Test the design. Pause for 5 minutes to draw conclusions with your
partner: did it work? was the design satisfactory? why did it behave as it
did? Do you think the mechanical part should be redesigned? The
program improved? Sketch answers to these questions, in
preparation for your lab report.
Estimated time to complete: One hour.
- Path-in-maze following robot
Use the same robot as before (with one light
sensor), perhaps after readjusting the mechanical design. Program
it to follow a white path on the black floor od the maze.
Download the program. What are the differences between this
program and the previous one? Calibrate the light
sensor. Test the design. Pause for 5 minutes to draw conclusions with your
partner: did it work? was the design satisfactory? why did it behave as it
did? Do you think the mechanical part should be redesigned? The
program improved? Sketch answers to these questions, in
preparation for your lab report.
Estimated time to complete: One hour.
- Additional work: this will be specified to each team
individually by Ileana, depending on your experience.
- Students
who have not completed the wheels-and-gears designs from lab3
will be advised to do at least one design per lab, for the next
2-3 labs, to become familiar with the options.
- Students who have finished the path-in-maze navigating robot
will be given the option to experiment with a 2 light-sensor
design or a one-light-sensor and bumper design.
- Students with more programming experience will be advised to
try to come up with better programming solutions for the
one-light-sensor maze-navigating design.
To turn in
As usually, a short email by Friday night and a web page report
by next week (before the lab).
Pictures can be
taken on Wednesday night when Jessi is available to help you,
or by arranging with Ileana for other times to pick
up the key to get your robot (but you may not have TA assistance,
although if I am available and you let me know in advance that
you need my assistance, I will help you).
Work on the web page is part of the
homework. Additional programming, mechanical design,
experimentation with the robot - while highly recommended for the
enthusiasts among you!! - are
not mandatory.
Last updated Sept. 30, 1999.
Ileana Streinu