Hello all! Here's a description of my project, copied and pasted from my application for my convenience! Eagerly awaiting my kit. I intend to pack as much of it as possible into this little fellow.
RAED – Robotic Assistant for Everyday Delegations:
There is a stereotypical piece of sci-fi technology that always seems to be present – the personal robot. The steward bot. The robotic assistant, or maid, or butler. It’s not the only common piece of fantastic tech. There seems to always be a means of Faster-Than-Light travel. There’s usually a teleportation device. These are exciting, but not realistic. Additionally, there is almost always some sort of communicator (often built into a wrist-mounted computer), and some sort of “replicator”. These are not only realistic, but exist! Smart-phones enable us to communicate in more fantastic ways than some sci-fi predictions, and offer incredible computing power. The rise of 3D printing is the precursor to more fantastic replication machines - yet we still don’t have a general purpose household robot. Roombas are a great start, but where is our version of the Jetsons’ Rosie? Our C3-P0? Our CL4P-TP? The duties commonly attributed to this role are within our reach, and with your help, I intend to achieve them through RAED (Robotic Assistant for Everyday Delegation).
Goals:
To maintain a reachable goal and realistic scope, the robot assistant project must have a defined set of objectives, which are outlined forthwith:
- The ability of the robot to navigate its surroundings, and follow the user as needed.
- Receiving, interpreting, and responding to voice commands.
- The potential to take advantage of the “internet of things” and embedded systems to further automate and integrate with the home.
- The intake of basic information about its surroundings.
- Basic manipulation.
- Recharging capability.
Navigation:
A suite of bump sensors, rangefinders, and pressure sensors in concert with the camera will allow the robot to navigate its surroundings with little danger to itself. It will utilize a rocker-bogie suspension (the same type found in the mars rovers) for increased stability. In order to follow the user, it will utilize RFID. This technology has already been applied to the navigation of mobile robots, and a wearable, dedicated RFID tag will allow the robot to sense and follow the user. RFID navigation is accomplished by using several readers and comparing their relative strengths – a robotic game of “hot and cold”.
Instruction:
In order to provide assistance through automation, voice commands will need to be recognized. These will range from simple commands to questions, and the robot should be able to respond to these accordingly, pulling information from the internet or its sensors as needed. Many of these responses will likely pull from available sources, utilizing systems like “Google Now” to provide detailed answers to given inquiries. Using RFID to locate the user and then aim a directional microphone should allow for a small reduction in background noise, and easier interpretation of given commands.
Integration:
This robot should be able to connect via wifi or Bluetooth to similarly enabled objects. This means that the robot would be able to, through voice commands, access and activate things from doorlocks to automated coffeepots. This interconnectivity of distributed automation allows the robot to act as a “hub” through which other appliances may be easily accessed. This would allow the robot to respond to even more inquiries about the state of the household.
Sensing:
The robot should be able to sense its surroundings so as to provide relevant information to the user such as temperature, pressure, and location. This would be accomplished via the robot’s onboard suite of sensors.
Manipulation:
High-level manipulation would place the robot outside of the scope of this challenge, but simple grasping should be easy to automate. This way, the robot would be able to pick up small objects at ground level. This would allow it to pick up litter or something that has been dropped, thereby offering convenience to the user. This would be done is response to a voice command from the user, using a simple, small manipulator. In the case of litter, this could be stored to a small compartment for later disposal.
Recharging:
The robot should able to recharge itself. This allows for the highest level of automation. In order to do so, the robot should be able to detect a low-battery status and inform the user. An additional RFID tag can be placed into a charging station, and the robot can use this to navigate toward it. Once at the station, orientation and distance sensors can be used to position the robot correctly so as to connect to the charger. Such systems are already in place in other automated systems.
Conclusion:
The speed of operation and low power consumption make the Pi a perfect system to control the robot, and the many available options and documentation allow for a wide range of applications, even in a single system. The goals outlined for RAED are within the grasp of technology which is currently available, and would be an excellent way to utilize the Raspberry Pi system to bring science fiction into reality.
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