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Sprints

Overview

Goals

A robot that moves around without running into walls and has a voice

  • Can move around the Academic Center without running into walls
  • Has a voice and is personable
  • Identifies people around it and can interact when there is a person in its range

Sprint 1

Goals:

  • Make a robot that walks around and can sense walls
  • Show proof-of-concept for components
    • Computer vision demonstration
    • Walking mechanism

Progress:

  • Robot walks and can sense walls. It is able to turn before the wall
    • Computer vision can recognize people
    • Basic walking mechanism

Sprint 2

We want to develop the personality of the robot more especially with mechanical design and do a lot of user testing to make sure that the robot is “cute” and personable.

Goals:

  • Implement computer vision on the Raspberry Pi
  • Use Raspberry Pi to communicate with Arduino
  • Improve walking mechanism
  • Develop robot appearance/personality especially making it “cute”

Progress:

  • Moves with improved linkage leg mechanism
  • Can identify people with the Raspi camera
  • Has fluffy “pink monster” appearance people found cute
  • The walking mechanism has a wobble aspect which adds a cute personality factor
  • Arduino LED lights up when Raspi sees a person (10 sec)

Sprint 3

Goals

  • Integrate mechanical electrical and software systems
  • Scale up to final size
  • Increase mechanical robustness (no hot glue!)
  • Run on battery power

Progress:

  • Attached new motor servos
  • Added battery and convert its power for other components
  • Arduino and Raspi wired to each other on chassis and communicate back and forth, with Arduino controlling movement and the Raspi monitoring computer vision and using the speaker
  • Stronger larger design that is wood glued, not hot glued
  • Added ribs on chassis over electronics to give round shape to body and fur

Sprint 4

Goals:

  • Add low battery notification (over speaker)
  • Redesign chassis to organize electronics for better access
  • Make shape rounder
  • Documentation
  • Modify sounds to be more cute

Progress:

  • Added low battery notification sound by having the Arduino sense voltage from Battery, output digital high or low, convert that voltage to 3.3V range for Raspi, and have Raspi output battery low sound
  • Added more small ribs to structure give a gradual rounding shape
  • Redesigned chassis and had threaded inserts for parts so they held better
  • Decided against modified sounds because we liked the attitude of them (very attention getting)
  • Finished up Documentation