Senior Design Team 7
GPS Homing Robot
ECE290 - Spring-Fall 2004
Project Statement
Zachary Chaves (CMPE)
Phillip Johnson (EE)
Gregory Wilkosz (EE)
Statement of Need:During the first World War, armies would use carrier pigeons to relay messages back and forth. Telephones were new in these days and often after moving or in case of break down, Pigeons were the only means of communication available. These birds had been trained to fly 'home' and in doing so would bring a message with them.
Now outdated by phone, carrier pigeons are more of a hobby but the theory is still in use today. Many vehicles drive everywhere transporting things between point A and B. Any kind of harvesting, whether it be food, timber, or even rock, requires filling up a vehicle and moving it from point A to B. And still even the smallest messages may have to be manually transported throughout the mountains or other barren lands where cell phone towers are sparse or nonexistent.
All of these problems suggest that some sort of multi-terrain, self-navigational, and unmanned vehicle would be able to help many different types of people in various ways. These vehicles could be used for effective delivery systems in commercial, industrial, military, and even personal applications. This type of vehicle should be able to cover many different terrains and obstacles during operation. The system should also be able to proceed from a known location to another with minimal operator interference.
Preliminary Requirements:
The operating vehicle should be able to navigate from one point to another
using an onboard GPS navigation system. Simple obstacles in the vehicle's path
should be navigable. The vehicle should not get stuck or turn over easily. The destination and any needed initializing inputs should be the only data inputted into the system. The vehicle should be able to traverse multiple types of terrains and navigate the entire course (point A to point B) that has been input by the operator.
Basic Limitations:
This vehicle needs to be completed, tested, and operational by Dec. 2004.
Since it will be completed in December, the weather could be a factor for
planned demonstration. The demonstrational unit must weigh less than 10 kg (22 lbs) and the overall cost should not exceed $1,000.
Questions:
How long should the system be operational (i.e. - battery life)?
Should the vehicle be able to carry a payload?
What type of terrains will the vehicle be able to handle?
Will the vehicle commands be input wirelessly?