MINDSTORMS LOBOTOMY: ROBOTIC WIRELESSCOMMUNICATION, COORDINATION, AND CONTROLSYSTEM WITH PARALLEL ACOUSTICAL TRACKINGCAPABILITY

摘要

A system for wireless, multi-robotic communication, coordination, and control, based on Lego MindStormsTM robots and a PC-based Command Center, has been demonstrated at Seattle Pacific University as an example of fruitful undergraduate research and as a powerful extension of MindStormsTM capabilities for use by future students with minimal programming and hardware changes. A custom program resident on a PC allows the human user to initiate command and control decisions and communicate wirelessly to roving robots over its transceiver- equipped COM port, and up to a range of 20 meters. Transceiver units on each robot first of all receive messages, determine which are intended for them, and translate them into the IR signals that are required at their data input ports. Messages are then interpreted and each robot responds according to the specific message. The response may include return messages to the PC, translated back through their IR/RF interface, which can then be used for further coordination and control of the several robots. This allows robots to work together efficiently as a team because only one device is making decisions for them all. A separate ultrasonic tracking system has also been designed that utilizes two microphone ‘ears’ with accompanying electronics to provide the capability of determining the direction of an ultrasonic beacon. Each robot can then utilize this information to influence how to act – whether to follow, or run away, or make position decisions based on the origin of the sound. An additional technical improvement has been made by replacing the standard AA battery power source with a set of lithium-ion batteries, thus extending operating time to several hours.