After Market Autonomous Vehicle Kit

This is the design we went off to make autonomous car pedals.
This system was attached to our Racing Simulator to control the Stick Shift autonomously.
We needed to 3D Print an adapter to control the steering wheel with chain.
This is a segment of our code used for the Steering Wheel Control.
This is a segment of our code for the Gear Shifting Mechanism.
This is a segment of our code used for the Pedal Control.
This is a segment of our code used for a demonstration of all our functions.

Inspiration:

Historian Mark Foster has estimated that “fully one-third of the total environmental damage caused by automobiles occurred before they were sold and driven.” He cited a study that estimated that fabricating one car produced 29 tons of waste and 1,207 million cubic yards of polluted air. Increasing the longevity of a vehicle by retrofitting it with technology that would otherwise create demand for new vehicles ultimately reduces the environmental impact of the industry. Less demand means less production, less production means less pollution, and less pollution means a greener earth.

What it does:

It is an aftermarket kit that you can install into your vehicle to have it drive autonomously. The autonomous functions enabled by the kit do not impede on the drivers ability to operate the vehicle manually as well.

How we built it:

We got a Logitech Racing Simulator and Vex Robotics parts and assembled the Vex Parts to fit to the station. In it is 3 mechanisms, the wheel, the stick shift, and the pedals. One moves the stick shift, one steers the steering wheel, and the last presses the pedals.

Challenges we ran into:

Time limit. Doing all of this from Friday night to Sunday morning has been brutal on us physically and mentally. We had people programming, building, and designing all at once. Making sure we all were on the same track was very important otherwise we may have gotten in each others way.

Accomplishments that we're proud of:

We are all very proud of pursing such a big project in such little time. If it were not for each one of us we would not have gotten this far with this project. Finally, that the project is finished, it functions, and it functions well is an accomplishment in itself.

What we learned:

We learned a lot of mechanical systems to complete this project. We had to learn about 5 bar linkages. We had to learn a bit of C++ to program everything. We have to get and learn a different 3d printing slicer to print a custom piece in the steering mechanism. That and we learned how to use Vex parts with other non-Vex parts. Normally we just use Vex metal or motors with itself because that is how its intended to be used. But with this we had to find a way to use it with the Logitech Racing Simulator.

What's next for After Market Autonomous Vehicle Kit:

Perfecting it. Because we had a limited time frame for working we'd definitely want to spend a bit more time making the system work smoothly. From there brainstorming how it could be better after having a proof of concept.