Autonomous robotic sweeper

Domen Kržišnik (2015) Autonomous robotic sweeper. EngD thesis.

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Abstract

There is already a wide range of personal/domestic robots on the market capable of performing various tasks. We haven't however been able to find any commercially available robots designed for effectively performing the task of backyard sweeping. This thesis presents the process and end result of planning, assembly and programming of an autonomous robot, capable of performing the above mentioned task. We first analyze robots with similar functions, including robotic vacuum cleaners and lawn mowers in order to define design for the physical structure and the appropriate control logic for the robot, so that it will be able to carry out our task. In order to facilitate physical construction, we used an existing manual sweeper by the company Kärcher as our base platform, which was then upgraded with an electric propulsion, control system and various sensors. During development we took advantage of new technologies, such as 3D printing for physical construction and Arduino platform for control logic of the robot. The thesis also includes analytical process of the robot testing, performed in the backyard under realistic conditions. We analyzed the area of coverage, success rate of different type of obstacles detection and responsiveness of the remote control.

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