MapBot : An experiment in robotic mapping :: Robotics

Includes Source Code MapBot : An experiment in robotic mapping Abstract: Today Robots are often used to explore dangerous places where humans cannot go. However, what if there was a more easily available robot that could be used to explore places here on earth? This project is an attempt to build a very simple version of such a robot: a robot that follows a line, then creates a graph of the line on a computer. Exercises I did early in COSMOS gave me the backing I needed to attempt such an undertaking. I used basic line-following programs as the base, with a recording element thrown in. A C program was written to run on the computer and turn the data the robot collects into a graph. It took a lot of tweaking, but eventually I got a decently accurate representation of the line. Sadly, MapBot 2 though, I learned that if I want to graph another line, I would have to change the program all over again. With a little more work, I believe I could fix that, and the other problems plaguing this program as it stands. Also, I still believe that a personal MapBot is a viable idea, though I learned that it would require a lot of work. MapBot 3 Background/Purpose: There has always been a human drive to explore, to find out more about the world. Columbus sailed to America, and Cook to Australia, each driven by the promise of new uncharted territory. Recently this task of exploring new frontiers has been turned over to robots, as robots can explore locales that humans cannot. Robots have explored volcanoes, the planets in our solar system, and the deep sea—locations no person could survive. So far robots have been limited to exploring just such locations, those available exclusively to them, but I believe that there are earthly applications for exploring robots. Imagine, if you will, an inexpensive mapping robot. It operates very simply: simply set it down somewhere in the desired area, give it a set of bounds, and leave. The robot will send live data from the terrain to the user, creating a realtime map of the area. This map will be based on whatever data the robots sensors have collected; with add-ons, this could be anything from soil composition to topographic data. And when mapping is complete, the user simply returns to the robot and picks it up. Such a robot would be useful to many professions. Cartographers could create online maps that changed as the planet did. Field scientists could use them to take readings over a large swathe of terrain without taking any of their own time. With a camera attached, they could make a 3-dimensional