What I Personally Accomplished This Week
This week I focused on demo preparation and hardware refinement. I tuned the SLAM mapping parameters to improve map quality and stability for the demonstration. I assembled the updated chassis with new 3D printed components and secured connections using hot glue to ensure mechanical stability during testing. I also prepared the demo presentation and validated that the navigation operates reliably for the demonstration scenario.
Progress Status
Progress is on track. The navigation system is stable and the hardware assembly is complete with improved mechanical mounting.
Deliverables for Next Week
Next week I will fine tune the mapping and path planning parameters to improve navigation performance. We will also begin integrating computer vision outputs into the navigation system to enable human detection.
Verification:
For LiDAR verification, I am testing scan rate consistency and range accuracy by monitoring the RPLidar A1M8 output on the scan to verify it maintains 5-10 Hz publication frequency and validating distance measurements by placing known obstacles at measured distances to confirm its within 5cm tolerance. Paul and I performed verification testing for physical movement and battery runtime by running movement scripts at different speeds. For battery testing, we ran the complete system doing navigation loops at approximately 1 m/s for over 45 minutes repeatedly, exceeding our 30 minute runtime goal.