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VenAndDavidRoboticsLab

Robotics Lab
By David and Ven

Plan of Action

We are planning to make our cricket run the Search and Rescue task using an IR reflector sensor only in which the Cricket will navigate a maze and find a strobe light at the end at which it will stop.

• First, the robot will move forward for one second.
• Our robot will then use the IR sensor on its front to take two readings to its left, then two to its right, and then two forward all while turning in place. The robot will continue if it detects two consecutive readings greater than 230, an actual distance of about 8 or 9 cm and above, in any of the directions it searches, taking the first available path.
• Hopefully navigating the maze in this fashion, the Cricket will detect the strobe light by detecting a change in IR readings between its first and second readings, and it will stop.

Our Hope

Our hope is that our robot will be able to navigate the maze using just its IR sensor. Ideally, it will follow the left wall, because this is the first wall it checks for an open pathway, and inch its way to the end of the maze and shut down when it detects the strobe light there. This will hopefully happen because of the intense change in light affecting the IR reflector's reading, and Cricket Bot will realize it has reached its goal. Because the range on the IR sensor is only about 10cm, the Cricket should be right next to the light when it detects this change, and it should be at an adequate distance to stop. Hopefully, the Cricket will not detect a change in light further away than our predicted 8 to 9cm. Our belief is that the IR sensor is not sensitive enough to detect a change in lighting any further away than the range of 230 set for the "continue on" command given to our Cricket. This is because the difference from a black surface (reading of 14) to a bright light (reading of 1) was only a difference of 13 on the Cricket's display for IR readings, a small amount in comparison to the large readings that we have seen the IR sensor yield. Our Cricket will stop short of its goal, though, if the change in light can be detected at a greater distance.