Robockey
Robockey is a four week long project in which over 25 teams create an autonomous robotic hockey team and compete in a two day tournament.
I headed the mechanical design, designed/fabricated custom motor drivers, and programmed on a team of three. These bots showcase the synthesis of mechanical design, electronics, and programming coming together in an integrated package.
December 2015
Key Features
Puck Finding
Finding the puck was the biggest challenge of this project. Through a series of 12 tuned phototransistors located around the circumference, the bot is able to "see" where the puck is and power the custom motor drivers accordingly to orient itself properly. Within the puck opening is a momentary switch which is triggered when the bot has the puck, and lets the microcontroller know to head for the goal.
Localization
In order for the robots to know where they are relative to the rink, we use a Wii remote IR camera to detect a constellation of IR LEDs above the rink. Because of the unique orientation and distance of the LEDs, the data received from the camera can be analyzed and deciphered to "localize" the orientation and position of the bot.
This was first tested and simulated using MATLAB and then implemented in C once verified.
PROTOTYPING
© Julian Mickelson 2021