Presentation Title
Autonomous Navigator Mobile Robot Upgrade
Document Type
Poster Session
Department
Engineering
Faculty Mentor
Dr. Carlos Luck
Keywords
robot, mobile, platform, autonomous, navigator, arm, manipulator, linux
Abstract
The mobile robot platform has been developed over the course of 10 years at USM. In Spring 2020, Belle-Isle and Werner updated the previous framework by rewriting the software to use the ROS framework running on an on-board Raspberry Pi 3. They also implemented navigation using an A* motion planning algorithm and image processing. In Summer 2021, Ames incorporated Lidar and Kinect sensors onto the robot to improve its real-time navigation capabilities. He also made improvements to the power distribution systems. This project aimed to build on the ROS frameworks developed by the previous 2 teams with the main goal of mounting a modern, lightweight, robotic arm onto the platform. An arm was selected among several candidates and then bench tested with an open-source joint angle control software package. The software package was then integrated into the existing mobile robot’s code. From a remote Linux PC, the arm can be controlled manually, or it can run programed movements defined in Python scripts. The arm mounts to the robot on a height adjustable and modular platform. The arm gives the robot and future teams more capabilities as the robot can now manipulate objects in its environment.
Included in
Electrical and Electronics Commons, Electro-Mechanical Systems Commons, Hardware Systems Commons, Robotics Commons
Autonomous Navigator Mobile Robot Upgrade
The mobile robot platform has been developed over the course of 10 years at USM. In Spring 2020, Belle-Isle and Werner updated the previous framework by rewriting the software to use the ROS framework running on an on-board Raspberry Pi 3. They also implemented navigation using an A* motion planning algorithm and image processing. In Summer 2021, Ames incorporated Lidar and Kinect sensors onto the robot to improve its real-time navigation capabilities. He also made improvements to the power distribution systems. This project aimed to build on the ROS frameworks developed by the previous 2 teams with the main goal of mounting a modern, lightweight, robotic arm onto the platform. An arm was selected among several candidates and then bench tested with an open-source joint angle control software package. The software package was then integrated into the existing mobile robot’s code. From a remote Linux PC, the arm can be controlled manually, or it can run programed movements defined in Python scripts. The arm mounts to the robot on a height adjustable and modular platform. The arm gives the robot and future teams more capabilities as the robot can now manipulate objects in its environment.
