Team Pravartak developed a rover prototype for robust exploration on uneven terrains and inclines up to 45 degrees, capabilities in autonomous navigation, obstacle detection, and adaptability to harsh environments.
- Structure: The rover's 6-wheel drive system, combined with a triple bogie mechanism, offers enhanced maneuverability and stability over rough and uneven terrains. This design, constructed from MDF board, aluminum extrusions, and C-shaped mild steel, allows the rover to distribute weight evenly across its wheels, ensuring that it can tackle steep inclines and rocky landscapes with minimal risk of tipping. The triple bogie setup improves ground contact, enabling each wheel to independently respond to terrain changes, maintaining stability and grip even on highly irregular surfaces.
With these robust structural materials, the rover achieves a balance between lightweight agility and structural resilience, making it suitable for both exploratory research and environmental monitoring in challenging conditions. - Navigation: The manual navigation of the robot through serial communication, using a control interface connected to the Jetson board. The program receives directional commands from an external controller via serial input, which it interprets to control the movement of the robot's motors. The movement options include forward, backward, left rotation, and right rotation, and each command is executed based on the received serial input.
- move_forward(): Activates the motors to drive the robot forward.
- move_backward(): Activates the motors to drive the robot backward.
- stop(): Stops all motor activity, bringing the robot to a halt.
- rotate_continuous(direction): Rotates the robot continuously in the specified direction ('left' or 'right') until a different command is received.
- receive_data(): Listens for serial input data, which determines the direction of movement.
The robot’s movements are controlled by the following commands received through serial input:
- 'w': Move forward
- 's': Move backward
- 'a': Rotate continuously to the left
- 'd': Rotate continuously to the right
- 'q': Stop the robot
- 'exit': Exit the manual control loop and clean up resources
- Obstacle Detection:
This project enables autonomous obstacle detection and navigation for a robot using a LiDAR sensor and motor control through Jetson.GPIO. The LiDAR scans the environment, and the distance and angle data are analyzed to detect obstacles. When an obstacle is identified within preset thresholds, the robot chooses a safe direction by rotating left or right and continues forward if the path is clear. Additionally, slope detection helps the robot assess and safely navigate uneven terrain.
The robot’s movement functions allow it to move forward, reverse, or rotate to avoid obstacles. After avoiding an obstacle, the robot attempts to re-align to its original path for efficient navigation. This approach enables effective autonomous exploration in structured environments with basic obstacle avoidance and terrain adaptability.
- Power Supply: LiPo 4S battery connected to the L298N motor driver for driving the motors with PWM signals from Jetson Nano.
- 45° Incline Sploe Climbing: One of the key features of this rover is its ability to climb slopes up to 45 degrees. The combination of the 6-wheel drive system and the triple bogie mechanism allows the rover to maintain traction and balance while ascending steep inclines. This capability is crucial for environments with uneven terrain, making the rover suitable for exploration in areas with challenging topography such as rocky landscapes, hills, or even simulated extraterrestrial environments.
| Electronic Component | Description |
|---|---|
| NVIDIA Jetson (e.g., Jetson Nano) | Onboard processing unit for running algorithms and controlling the rover's systems. |
| Ultrasonic Distance Sensor (HC-SR04) | Measures distance to surrounding objects, used for obstacle detection. |
| L298N Dual H-Bridge Motor Driver | Powers and controls motors, enabling forward and backward movement. |
| Orange High Torque DC Motors (555 series) | Provides torque for movement on various surfaces, including steep inclines. |
| Radio Telemetry Module (3DR) | Enables wireless communication with remote control systems for telemetry data transmission. |
| LiDAR Sensor (2D-YDLIDAR) | Scans 180 degrees for obstacle detection and mapping of the environment. |
| NEO-6M GPS Module | Provides accurate location data for autonomous navigation and geospatial tracking. |
These components work together to ensure the rover can navigate difficult terrains, detect and avoid obstacles, and provide real-time feedback to operators through telemetry.
Modular Design: The rover’s modular design allows easy customization and upgrades, with interchangeable components like the chassis, motors, sensors, and electronics. This makes maintenance simpler and enables future enhancements without redesigning the whole system.
Lightweight: The rover's lightweight design, using MDF board for the chassis and aluminum extrusions for structure, enhances performance and maneuverability. It improves speed, agility, and reduces power consumption, allowing longer operational time and efficient navigation across various terrains.