Unmaned Ground Vehicle with Serial Manipulator

Proposed project is related to the field of the Robotics, Control system and intelligent control system, currently different aspects of the robotics and control system research are carried out by experts in various fields. At the high level of abstraction, splitting the proposed project into fo

Project Title

Unmaned Ground Vehicle with Serial Manipulator

Project Area of Specialization

Robotics

Project Summary

Proposed project is related to the field of the Robotics, Control system and intelligent control system, currently different aspects of the robotics and control system research are carried out by experts in various fields. At the high level of abstraction, splitting the proposed project into four major areas, mechanical manipulation, locomotion, artificial intelligence and visionary feature. Proposed project deals with the understanding and studying of the machine in static and dynamic situations, Mathematics supplies tools for the describing the spatial motions and other contributes of the manipulator. Control theory provides tools for designing and evaluating algorithms to realize desired motions or force applications. Electrical-engineering techniques are brought to bear in the design of sensors and interfaces for controlling motors, and contributes a basis for programming these devices to perform a desired task. 

Unmanned Ground vehicles (UGVs) are multipurpose remotely controlled vehicles, with the absence of any on-board human. UGV's have various applications in hostile environments where it can be dangerous for a human to work. A manipulator is a mechanical unit, designed to imitate the behavior of human arm. It consists of various segments capable of moving in various degrees of freedom. The end effecter of a manipulator is designed depending upon the required functionality, e.g. gripper and the attached First Person View camera with wide angle visualizes. The UGV is also accompanied with manual control Flappers whose confined mechanical design allows the robot to climb over the steps without any operation hesitance. The robot is capable for both indoor and outdoor applications. For outdoor applications GPS Module is mounted on robot which allows the tracking of robot in real time Google Maps. For indoor applications Kinect is mounted to 3-d mapping of given environment. For visualizations of live video streaming and tracking of robot android base applications are used.

Project Objectives

Objectives

Some objective and functionalities that are to be expected in final deliverable are:  

1. Smart Intelligent surveillance system
2. Easily climbs stairs and overcome obstacles
3. Situation awareness
4. Man-portable robot
5. Spying features
6. Suitable for indoor and outdoor missions
7. Dexterous manipulation of object
8. Game-style hand controller friendly
9. Dual track system with articulated flippers for enhanced mobility
10. Ability to withstand roll
11. Run time more than an hour
12. Day and night camera with infrared illumination
13. Expected speed up to 10 meters per minute at load of 10kg
14. Payload up to 2 kg at fully extended
15. Capable of tactical abilities
16. Modern warfare conglomeration
17. Cost reduction
18. Accuracy of GPS and telemetry
19. 3-D indoor mapping
20. Zero Lag streaming of video

Project Implementation Method

Hardware Design

Many mobile robots use a drive mechanism known as differential drive. It consists of two drive wheels mounted on a common axis with belt, and each wheel can independently being driven either forward or backward. While we can vary the velocity of each wheel, for the robot to perform rolling motion, the robot must rotate about a point that lies along their common left and right wheel axis. 

The exterior design of UGV is fully Aluminum Fabricated. Both the base and manipulator has been built of stainless Aluminum plates. It is a differential wheeled robot. The driven wheels are coupled with DC Gear motor through chain drivers. The wheels has been made up from Nylon rods to ensure long term use and less friction. Track belt (High Durability) has been wrapped to run continuous track instead of wheels. Each track uses a single motor which allows the vehicle to climb steep slopes easily by providing large torque. The caterpillar track enables the UGV to move on rocky terrains and in steep paths easily. Different parameters of base part of UGV are as:

The manipulator is manufactured to keep as light as possible without compromising its strength. Servo motors are used for actuating links which are designed to carry a payload of 2 kg.

Software Implementation

The compact single board computer (SBC) along with Arduino and Node-MCU chip device are used as a controller which is a reconfigurable embedded control and acquisition system using respective IDE’s as the programming platform. The developed system enables the control of UGV and its manipulator using a remote joystick controller via wireless platform. Apart from Joystick, the system can also be controlled optionally using a keyboard. Accuracy of Joystick control has been enhanced by using point to point mapping technique. For data visualization from sensory devices i.e. camera and the GPS module, mobile base applications are also developed specifically for Project using Java programming techniques. It’s also in future perspective to design a user friendly GUI to view live video feedback obtained from the onboard cameras to control the UGV accordingly along with other features of UGV like path tracker (tracks its path on Google Maps), variable speed modes, battery indicator, camera switch and selector etc. are also managed in the GUI. The system has been developed so that, in future, it can easily be extended to a fully autonomous system.

Material

Length with flappers stowed

Length with flappers extended

Height

Width

Number of Motors

Drive Type

PayLoad

Degrees of Freedom (D.O.F)

Maximum Horizontal Reach

Maximum Vertical Reach

Number of Motors

Material

Benefits of the Project

The incorporation of various technologies under one roof has given us the path to achieve goals which have never been realized in such an efficient manner in the past. These technologies bring about a self-relying and able machine to tackle Situations on its own and ease a human’s job in the present day scenarios.

The different and major application that designed UGV can perform are given below:

• RECONNAISSANCE  Also known as Scouting, is the military term for performing preliminary survey, especially an exploratory military survey, to gain or collect information.
• SEARCH AND RESCUE-In times of Natural calamities or man based disasters, it proves to be a reliable machine to locate people or objects with ease where it renders human effort futile
• ACTIVE COMBAT SITUATIONS Widely used on the battlefield, UGVs equipped with Explosives, Weaponry and shields have proven to be handy expendables assets without the cost of human life
• To undertake dangerous missions which involves loss of human life.
• Capable Automatically mapping on indoor environment. 

Technical Details of Final Deliverable

In our work, tele operated and autonomous frame work for Unmanned Ground Vehicles is presented, supporting different types of robot locomotions and different motors control and configurations. The result that was expected for the frame work is given below: 

• A stand-alone UGV capable of both manual and autonomous modes of control.
• Added a rotating camera platform that can target the enemy with human control.
• Successfully implementation of spying features including path planning, obstacle avoidance, GPS and electronic compass.
• Implementation of Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (SLAM) using kinect.
• Future work include the implementation of LIDAR Technology on a UGV, it would be possible to get in-door and out-door mapping of an environment.

Final Deliverable of the Project

HW/SW integrated system

Type of Industry

Others , Security

Technologies

Internet of Things (IoT), Robotics, Others

Sustainable Development Goals

Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure

Required Resources

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