Inspiration

We wanted to create something that makes campus life easier and more innovative. Imagine students studying in the library or relaxing outside — instead of leaving to grab food, our robot “Jerry” can go pick it up and deliver it right to them. Our goal is to help make UCF a leader in campus technology by introducing autonomous delivery vehicles that showcase the future of convenience, robotics, and smart campus innovation.

What it does

Jerry uses advanced navigation to move throughout the UCF campus. When a person places an order from a specific restaurant or store, Jerry automatically drives to that location, waits for the food to be picked up, and then delivers it directly to the person’s location. The system combines real-time mapping, obstacle detection, and autonomous path planning to make food delivery efficient and hands-free for students across campus.

How we built it

We built Jerry using a combination of hardware and software to bring autonomous delivery to life. The robot is powered by a Raspberry Pi, equipped with Radu Cameras 8, and runs on a 7.4-volt battery. For precise motor control, we used an A928N motor controller. On the frontend, we developed the interface using HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and React to handle user orders and display delivery information. For the backend, we used Python, integrating OpenCV and YOLO for machine learning. These tools allowed us to implement object detection and edge detection, enabling Jerry to recognize obstacles, navigate safely, and interact with its environment intelligently.

Challenges we ran into

One of the biggest challenges we faced was getting the navigation system to work smoothly and connect properly with Jerry, the robot. Integrating the software with the hardware was difficult — especially making sure the robot could follow paths accurately, avoid obstacles, and communicate in real time with our backend system. We spent a lot of time troubleshooting connection issues, refining the navigation logic, and syncing the robot’s sensors with the movement controls to make everything work together.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

We’re proud that Jerry successfully works and navigates around different areas on campus. Seeing the robot move on its own, detect obstacles, and reach its destinations felt like a huge achievement. After all the challenges with navigation and hardware connections, getting Jerry to operate independently and deliver food was a big milestone for our team.

What's next for LowbudgetJerry

Next, we plan to keep improving Jerry’s navigation, speed, and accuracy to make deliveries even smoother. We want to enhance its object detection, improve real-time route optimization, and make the ordering system more user-friendly. Our long-term goal is to have multiple Jerry units operating across UCF’s campus, fully integrated with student ordering apps, helping make UCF a smarter and more tech-driven campus.