What did you personally accomplish this week on the project?
This week, I tested the entire software system with the robotic arm. This involved running the main function, which relied on the QR scanning and kinematics modules to send commands to the Arduino controlling the arm. I was able to successfully verify the general logic of the main function and send accurate, fast commands to the robotic arm’s Arduino. One of our main concerns was that the delays of scanning the QR code, getting the box speed, sending the commands to the arm, and the arm actually moving would be too slow to efficiently grab the boxes on our relatively short treadmill. We were able to assuage those fears, as the system ran very quickly with time to spare. I greatly extended the main file this week, as it needed to be updated with the new additions I made to the QR scanning file and supplemented with the greater understanding I gained of the Arduino control inputs. I also spent a lot of time this week tweaking and improving the main and QR scanner files, as there were numerous issues with the accuracy and precision of predicting the box’s movements and converting the camera readings into real world coordinates relative to the arm (pixels -> centimeters).
Is your progress on schedule?
We are running on schedule.
What deliverables do you hope to complete in the next week?
I hope to continue testing the software system that runs on PC (vision, kinematics, and command modules) with the arm. The arm currently has some idiosyncrasies with the angles that haven’t been completely tested and mapped out. I plan to do some more robust testing of the vision module’s real-world mapping as well by placing boxes of different heights at specific locations on the treadmill running at specific speeds. Hopefully I’ll be able to verify that the real-world position/speed mappings are accurate now that I’ve revamped that code. I also hope to at least gain a better understanding of the exact arm angles relative to the command inputs, as I haven’t had that much time with the arm. Best case, by the end of the week, I will have the entire box-grabbing system working in a reliable and decently accurate manner.