This past week, I worked on finishing up the build for the robot and ordering parts for the inner mechanisms (conveyor belt and roller). I have been working on build with Ella and we met up multiple times over the week to work on build as well as discuss details about the motor control. During the sessions, we measured out the acrylic boards and havinghad them laser cut to fit on the frame.
This past week, I also worked on the code for the motor control as well as defining connections between the components. In terms of the code itself, I have been researching different options for the path planning algorithm and ROS for controlling robot movement. After some discussion on last week’s findings (VSLAM and ROS packages for movement), we were able to refine our algorithm for motion control. In our current flow, VSLAM will only be used to define the robot’s path to get back to it’s starting location (after having collected trash items). In terms of the code, I have mostly been using Python and a few python libraries to interface the motors to to the PI. I am working on writing classes for the ultrasonic sensor and functions to control the movement of the wheels. I would like to use ROS on top of this, if needed; however, based on current work, this does not seem necessary.
My progress is behind schedule as my primary focus the past two weeks has been on build. However, I am catching up and getting back on schedule as I have been working on the code. I am to have it completed by the end of this weekend. Refining our algorithm has also been useful in getting back on track with the schedule. For now, I aim to test the code with the motors on Tuesday and fix any issues with the ultrasonic sensor and the wheels. Ella and I will be working on connecting the bearings, conveyor belt, and roller to the frame during our build session on Monday. Once the code has been tested with the motors separately, we will integrate the motors and the pi (plus power banks) into the robot on Thursday and Friday of next week. We would like to have a moving robot (with a working pick-up mechanism) to display for interim demo.
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