GRADUSHARDWARE

Michael LyonsMichael WoodsLinzhong Zhuo

Introduction

The main objective of our project was to create a stair climbing vacuum robot. Small, efficient design Remedy past failures Integrate software for autonomy

Architecture

The following diagrams give an overall view of

our basic design and implementation for Gradus.

State Context

State Diagram

Start(off)

Start(off)

Idle

Move

Vacuum

Remote ControlRobot Initialization

Withheld Command

Lower

Raise

Finish(Robot

Uninitialized)

Finish(Robot

Uninitialized)

Power Down

Remote Operations

Context Diagram

Past Attempts

Inefficient design Too heavy

15-20lbs. Aesthetically

displeasing Large balance issues

Past Attempts

Master’s Student working for iRobot

Most successful design introduced

Heavy and Bulky, not efficient for home use

Original Design

Original Perfect, smooth arch 6 wheels Wood or aluminum original case material Expected 8-10 lbs.

Original Design

New Design

Changes Hexagonal design implement 4 wheels instead. Wheels on top of robot

removed from design. Acrylic used as case material. Finished with 6-8lbs.

Final Design

Final Design

Final Design

Original Challenges & Uncertainties

Climb the stairs Balance Size

Software Integration Automation Battery Life

Challenges

Cutting the acrylic Combining the servos with the DC motors Mounting the servos and wheels to the

proper height Powering each component

Challenges Cont.

Determining the torque required by each component. E.g. motors, wheels, servos

Balancing the robot for optimal stair climbing

Re-programming the servo to move the full 180 degrees with the RC transmitter & receiver

Controlling the robot with the RC transmitter and receiver

Technology Used

4 HiTEC Servos 4 DC Motors Aluminum Channels Arduino Mega 2560

Microcontroller 2 Sabertooth 2x5

Motor Drivers Spektrum Dx5e

Transmitter & Receiver

Final Outcome

Case completed Remote control operation

Servo (0-90 Degrees) & DC motor Successfully climbs stairs with

reservations Add weight to front for friction

Software Integration Time constraint issues Left for future teams

Demo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vRDV9R_f0fE&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Conclusion

Able to overcome many of the challenges Still an unfinished product Future groups may implement software

and stabilize design Overall very interesting and rewarding

project

Questions?