05/12/2012
During the spring of 2012, I was enrolled in ME135: Microprocessor-Based Design of Mechanical System, a project based class with a large scale final project.
The project requirements were:
The project requirements were:
-Demonstrate the use of real time software.
-Design and development of Host GUI software.
-Components running on multiple CPUs or Cores.
-Interaction with the external world through sensors and actuators.
-Must be multitasking
Development of the project required both LabVIEW programming and mechanical work.
The Robotics Starter Kit 2.0, also known as the DaNI, a $1600 robotics platform which readily interfaces
with the LabVIEW Robotics Module became the base of the project. Software controlling the DaNI lived on an sbRIO-9632, which featured built-in digital and analog I/O, connectors to NI C Series modules, and an on-board Ethernet and serial port allowing for additional third-party sensors and actuators. This opened the path for harnessing the human detection, tracking, and depth calculation capabilities of the Microsoft
Kinect. In the end, the project was proposed as a semi-autonomous robotic system that intelligently follows a user.
The Robotics Starter Kit 2.0, also known as the DaNI, a $1600 robotics platform which readily interfaces
with the LabVIEW Robotics Module became the base of the project. Software controlling the DaNI lived on an sbRIO-9632, which featured built-in digital and analog I/O, connectors to NI C Series modules, and an on-board Ethernet and serial port allowing for additional third-party sensors and actuators. This opened the path for harnessing the human detection, tracking, and depth calculation capabilities of the Microsoft
Kinect. In the end, the project was proposed as a semi-autonomous robotic system that intelligently follows a user.
More details can be found here.
The motivation for this was an exercise in human-computer interaction; besides tracking and following
a human user, the robot will be able to respond to voice commands and avoid any obstacles in its way,
much like a pet dog.
much like a pet dog.
Team Members: Gordon Yang, Louisa Avellar, Naasik Akkas, Oliver Zhu
Summary of the processing that occurs in the project.
Major components.
DaNI in action!
