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This robot was created as a Capstone project for my graduation from UCLA. We worked in teams of five to design, construct, and program a robot capable of picking up a can of tuna, navigating an obstacle course, climbing a hill, and then dropping the can of tuna off on the target location. I was the design and fabrication lead for the team, and handled all of the sourcing and purchasing of the parts.
The robot was successful in picking up and dropping off the tuna can on target, as well as navigating the obstacle course mostly autonomously. Autonomous entry to the hill climb portion of the course was not accomplished, resulting in a small point deduction from our final score.
Rear and Front Isometric Views of the Final Robot
Navigation was performed using three ultrasonic sensors to detect the walls of the obstacle course. The robot was powered by two 6V geared motors, using differential drive to steer. The rotation of the motors was transferred to the wheels through a chain of gears with a 1:1 gearing ratio, as the torque needed was already delivered by the built-in gearbox. The front wheels were unpowered, and consisted of 3-D printed PLA on an steel axle.
Side view of the Gear Train
The pick-up mechanism consisted of two lead screws, and plates with an edge on the bottom that were driven together to lift the tuna can into the robot. One leadscrew powered the horizontal motion of the arms, while the other lifted the entire pick-up assembly off the ground to allow for the robot to move. The two leadscrews were driven by smaller 6V geared motors, with printed gears connecting them to the leadscrews.
Back and Isometric Views of Pick-up Mechanism
The majority of the robot was 3-D printed out of PLA using my TRONXY X5SA printer. The print volume was sufficient to print the entire base of the robot in one piece, easing in the fabrication of the craft.
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