Energy efficient design and implementation of a semi-autonomous mobile robot prototype.

摘要

Robots were first utilized in the industry for various purposes as programmable machines to perform a set of pre-specified tasks without interacting with humans in the course of operation. However, in recent years, significant efforts have been reported in the literature for human-robot interactions. In systems where humans and robots interact during the execution of a task, robots do not perform preprogrammed tasks, but execute different sets of actions depending on the commands sent by humans.;In this work, the goal is to design an energy efficient semi-autonomous robot which is controlled by human and implement design techniques onto a physical prototype that imitates pre-specified human body movements in real-time. The prototype consists of electrical and mechanical components such as microcontrollers, motors, mechanical structures, etc. In the target system, the signals representing body movements are either detected by sensors attached to human body (in case of arm movements) or generated by a human (in case of leg movements).;Prototype of the system is designed and tested in computer environment. Following to design process, physical prototype is manufactured by using rapid prototyping technique. Finally, physical end product is tested to see if the system achieves to operate predefined movements mechanically and electrically. In the final prototype, energy consumption, speed and implementation cost are the major optimization metrics to be considered during the design process.