So our master plan is still to produce a couple of robots which do a
nice job of cooperatively mapping out an area, sharing data through a
central server over the existing wireless network. Although the
robots will each be responsible for figuring out their own plan of
exploration, the central sever will allow them to share plans, data,
and to obtain general goals from human operators such as 'all robots
go to the green/blue/green landmark'.
This plan has been broken down into a list of specific tasks which
need to be accomplished for each part of the project, and those tasks
are listed below.
Mapping:
- Sonar and IR on both robots
- Camera detects landmarks
- Record of sonar/IR/odometry/camera data
- Representation/record of landmark data
- Implementation of SLAM
- generated map (obstacles and landmarks) based on SLAM
- data upload/download to/from server
- Pretty UI
Central Server:
- Data upload/download
- issue commands to robots
- display current map and other information nicely
Robot Activity:
- Improve wandering based on map info
- Accept commands from server
- Landmark seeking behavior
- Coordination:
- ability to combine maps
- decide what to do based on map and all info, and upload this info to server
Other:
- everyone on the team knows how to run the robot, and where the code is
- get IR sensors installed on our robot and working with MCL
- clean up existing code, document it, and put it on the website in a single location
- be able to run the robot from Victoria's laptop and one of the class laptops, so that Paul and Victoria can work on the actual robot without Steph
- have a detailed design for coordinated wireless mapping, and a timeline
- put all the above on the team website
- create team CVS repository
- Batch install package