Robotics and MeRobotics and Me

Vidyasagar MurtyVidyasagar Murty

M.S. in Industrial EngineeringM.S. in Industrial Engineering

University of CincinnatiUniversity of Cincinnati

Bearcat IIIBearcat IIIThe Bearcat, is an autonomous vehicle being developed at Center for Robotics Research, University of Cincinnati.

It was first built in 1992 by a team of students, under the guidance of Dr. Ernest Hall, to compete in the International Ground Vehicles Competition. Its being improved ever since.

I joined the team in 2000, when I joined UC for my Masters in Industrial Engineering. With a keen interest in Robotics and Automation, I took a great liking for the Bearcat.

I was a key member of the award-winning Bearcat team in 2001 and 2002. Later I was the Secretary of the team in 2002

With Bearcat III, during a field test

Bearcat IIIBearcat III

Bearcat has the capability to follow white lines while avoiding obstacles. It also navigates based on the information retrieved from a GPS system or the wheel encoder.

The latest version of Bearcat III contains 4 functional modules apart from the mechanical system: Motion Control, Vision, Obstacle Avoidance and GPS system.

Monitoring the performance of Bearcat III at IGVC 2001

Bearcat IIIBearcat IIIThe mechanical system consists of 2 gear boxes which power the wheels, and turning is achieved through differential motion.

The motion control system consists of Galil DMC motion controller directed by a Central controller (computer).

The vision system consists of 2 cameras tracking white lines which form a track.

Obstacle Avoidance is achieved with the help of a Laser Scanner

Garmin GPS is used for GPS navigation

Fixing a bug in the program at IGVC 2001

Bearcat IIIBearcat III

At IGVC 2001, We stood 5th in the Autonomous Challenge event.

At IGVC 2002, we bagged the Jury award for being the first team to qualify, we stood 3rd in the Autonomous Challenge event. We were also placed 4th in the Navigation Challenge event.

We won the 3rd place at IGVC 2002!!!

Bearcat Team 2001

Bearcat Team 2002

My Work on Bearcat IIIMy Work on Bearcat III

Having done my Bachelors in Mechanical Engineering, I have hands-on experience and am good with tools.

I took an active part in making structural enhancements and am well-versed with all the mechanical aspects of the Bearcat.

Re-aligning the drive system

My Work on Bearcat IIIMy Work on Bearcat III

Bearcat has a C++ code with over 20 programs. Having strong logical skills and good programming knowledge in C, I studied the complete code with other team members.

In the 2001 contest we used a Sonar device for obstacle avoidance. We devised a new algorithm to overcome the problems faced in the 2000 contest.

Editing the program at IGVC 2001

My Work on Bearcat IIIMy Work on Bearcat III

In 2002, we upgraded Bearcat with Laser Scanner for Obstacle Detection. The module for retrieving data from the scanner was developed by a couple of team members.

I successfully integrated the module into the system and developed an algorithm for Obstacle Avoidance with the new module. This helped us bag the 3rd place in the 2002 contest.

Testing new Obstacle Avoidance system

My Work on Bearcat IIIMy Work on Bearcat IIIAs a part of the contest, the Bearcat has to autonomously travel from a starting point to a number of target destinations and return to home base, given only a map showing the coordinates of those targets. We developed 2 solutions for this event.

2 team members developed the GPS system.

Using the data from wheel encoders I developed an alternative algorithm when the GPS link is weak or when GPS ceases to function inside buildings.

Team members testing GPS system

My ThesisMy Thesis

My Undergraduate project was “Modeling of Alternative Path Generation for a Mobile Robot”.

Currently, I am following it up with my thesis on “Obstacle Avoidance for a Mobile Robot in Unstructured Environment” with Bearcat as the test bed.

Discussing strategies with Dr. Hall

My Strengths My Strengths

I have a Mechanical Engineering background with exposure to robotics and strong working knowledge of C language.

I am a responsible, detail-oriented and self-motivated individual. I like to take up challenges and am a team player.

My strong logical and problem-solving skills will be an asset for the job.

I am a quick-learner and can adapt myself to additional requirements of the job comfortably.

Explaining vision calibration to new team members

Team Work it is…

Robot Rescue in the Rain

Lighter Moments at the Contest