ARDUINO BASED OBSTACLE AVOIDANCE ROBOT CAR

ABSTRACT

This project involves the design and implementation of an intelligent obstacle-avoiding robot car. The objective of this project is to implement a robot car, which while moving should have the ability to detect obstacles in its path and change direction where obstacles are present without any form of external influence. The new direction to be taken to avoid collision is the direction that has the most distance between the obstacle and the sensor and this is determined by the robot based on sensor inputs.

This implementation was done using an ultrasonic wave sensor, which measures distance by sending pulses. Also, the movement of the servo motor (for sensor movement) and the DC motors (for wheel movement) are controlled by the motor driver shield in order to enable the obstacle avoidance function. The commands are sent to the Arduino microcontroller chip which serves as the main control of the robot car, as it controls the sensor and car movement.

The implemented robot car was able to successfully detect and avoid obstacles within the line of sight of the Ultrasonic sensor used.

Chapter 1: Introduction

1.1     Background

In our world today, ROBOTICS is a very interesting research area, which is fast growing as it is the simplest way for modifying modern day technology. Robotics plays a major role in technology advancement, which is why I decided to work on the robotics field and design something intelligent to make human life simpler.

An autonomous robot is one which can move without any external interference in an environment which is unstructured and unknown to the robot. The robot is able to do this because of the software intelligence embedded inside it in order for it to be able to sense the environment, detect any obstacle which is in its path and move round the environment by avoiding these obstacles [1]. In the designing of an autonomous robot, there are many robotic designs that can be used. To make a selection of the design to be used, the main factor to be put into consideration is the physical environment in which the robot will be operated. Examples of autonomous robots: walking robots, drones, robotic cars, and snake robots.

The obstacle avoiding robot has enough intelligence in order for it to cover the maximum area of the space provided and it has an ultrasound sensor which is used to detect any obstacles in the path of the robot, after which it will move in a direction to avoid the obstacle [2].

The main aim of such technology is that it can play a huge role in today’s transportation as it can be used to avoid accidents, which generally happen on congested roads by applying emergency brake. If this technology is used in a car, it will automatically sense any objects (living things or objects) in the path of the car and automatically apply breaks or take a side to the available free space where necessary.

1.2      Research Problem

A necessary requirement of every autonomous mobile robot is obstacle avoidance. This obstacle avoidance feature is of high importance in a robot’s navigation system in an unknown area so as to prevent collisions during its operation. It is necessary for an autonomous robot to avoid collisions in order to prevent damage to the object or to the robot itself. Application areas where obstacle avoidance is necessary include automatic vacuum cleaners and helicopters. Even in robots which work in a familiar environment and the path of the robot has been adequately defined, some environmental changes could occur and cause the robot to run into an object in its way so it is necessary for the robot to be able to adapt to the change by avoiding any objects in its path. This problem of effective trajectory planning is what has led to the need for a robot that can detect and avoid objects in a pre-computed path, or objects that appear suddenly. The solution to this trajectory problem involves the use of sensors by the robot to detect objects and avoid them thereby making the robot to be more independent since it would not require external influence.

1.3     Motivation

The idea of an autonomous robot is not a new one. Every company that uses mobile robots to perform tasks would like the robot to be able to carry out its functions effectively without any external control. With the advancement in the GPS technology, achieving the independent robot movement is closer to reality. However, the concern of how the robot sees and interacts with its environment must be addressed before the robot is used. To address this concern, sensors are used to collect enough environmental data that the robot interprets for smooth navigation of the robot. This method of addressing the concern leaves three questions: is it possible for a sensor to collect enough data for collision-free movement? Also, is there a fast and effective method of interpreting this data to the robot? Lastly, after interpretation, can the robot react and make correct decisions as quick and precise as a human would in the same environment? These are questions that must be answered to allow for human-free robot movement

1.4      Aim and Objectives

The Aim of this project is to design and implement a robot car that is able to move round an unknown environment without running into obstacles in its path.

The Objectives of the project are as follows:

• The robot car should have the capacity to detect obstacles in its path based on a predetermined threshold distance.
• After detection of an obstacle, the robot should be able to change its direction to a relatively open path by making an autonomous decision.
• The robot car should not require any external control during its operation.
• The robot car should be able to measure distance between itself and an obstacle in real time.
• The robot car should be able to operate effectively in an environment which is unknown to it.

ARDUINO BASED OBSTACLE AVOIDANCE ROBOT CAR

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