This week, I worked on some of the feedback we got from the proposal presentation regarding the audio triangulation, the robot motion, choices of microphones, and justification for using 3 microphones. According to my research, I can justify the use of three microphones by indicating that it allows for 2D audio recognition, when paired with a directional microphone. The three microphones are going to be MEMS microphones. The triangulation technique requires very accurate time measurements and using MEMS might introduce some timing delays affecting the precision of audio. However, since a directional microphone can give us a sense of the general origin of an audio, using the signals coming through both of these and aligning and processing them will help us get a more precise audio output with an aim of 5 degree of margin of error.
In light of the proposal update, I have made slight modifications to my goals within the next few weeks on the Gantt chart. I will be working on identifying specific components for the purposes mentioned above, and I swapped the deadline for the robot neck logic and the triangulation math, based on priority. I am on track based on the Gantt chart.
During next week, I will be working on identifying good directional microphones to integrate with the MEMS microphone to have good results, and identifying the motion motors for the neck of the robot. I will also do more research on allowing audio triggers within a certain length radius from the robot. Once I identify the servos I will be using, I will work on the audio triangulation method. I will be working on the bill of materials(BOM) with my team to finalize the parts list.