Major Project Revised — Design of a Robot Tour Guide

1. Motivation

A primary reason to build intelligent robots is to accomplish missions. For this project, the mission is to give tours.

2. Goals

The goals of this assignment are:

3. Assignment Overview

You will design and report on robot software to control one of the OU TurtleBots as it carries out the mission of acting as a robot tour guide as described in Homework 1.

4. Assignment Details

4.1 Robot Hardware

The software you design should be able to run on an OU TurtleBot without physical modification, with one exception — if you believe that the tour guide robot would be more effective if there were a fixed (non-moving) appendage attached to the TurtleBot to facilitate pushing buttons for the elevator or powered doors, you may assume the existence of such an appendage. Other hardware modifications to the OU TurtleBots, including changing the sensor suite, will not be allowed.

4.2 Robot Software Compatibility

The software you design must be compatible with ROS. In your design, you must indicate how your software interacts with existing ROS software.

4.3 Robot Software Paradigm

Your software may be designed using any of the paradigms we have covered in class (deliberative, reactive, and hybrid). Your design must be for a system that is autonomous other than taking in requests for guide services and making requests for minor assistance as described in Homework 1.

4.4. Operating Environment

The environment will conform to the description of Devon Energy Hall (DEH) and Rawl Engineering Practice Facility (REPF) given in Homework 1.

4,5. Design Scope

Within the parameters given above (regarding hardware, software compatibility, software paradigms, and environment), you are to give a detailed design of all aspects of your robot control software for the tour guide mission. This includes describing the overall software architecture used, its primary components and how they interact with one another, and how the robot carries out sensing, mapping, localizing, planning, communicating, navigating, and other functions. You should include a description of the major data structures used in your design, including the representations of all maps, plans, and other knowledge components the robot will use to complete its mission. You should describe any existing software/services your code will utilize and how your software will interact with it; this includes ROS software as well as third-party software.

5. Deliverables

5.1 Written Report

Each team will submit a written report on their design. Your report will be modeled on a technical report that might be published by a laboratory. Your report will have the following components:

Note that while all of the components above must be included in your report, they do not necessarily need to be organized into sections this same way. For example, if your approach combines ideas from multiple prior approaches, you might describe the approach in a single section with multiple subsections or, alternately, in multiple sections. However, deviations from the expected order and division of the document should be justifiable, not gratuitous.

You should submit an electronic copy of your report before class through D2L and turn in a printed copy to me in my office (DEH 242).

Report Due: Friday, December 5, 5:00pm.

6. Notes on this Assignment

You may follow the format or content of other written works but you must give a complete and accurate accounting of who deserves credit for all parts of your documents. Failure to give credit where credit is due is academic fraud and will be dealt with accordingly. Please see OU’s academic integrity website.