Sumo-bot

Photo at Competition!

Inspiration

We were inspired upon seeing the posting of McMasters Sumobot Competition, the challenge of making a robot that can detect opponents and push them out of the ring using robotics.

What it does

Our Sumo-bot is an autonomous robot designed to participate in a sumobot competition. It can autonomously detect and react to other robots in the arena using sensors, such as ultrasonic or infrared, to avoid collisions and push opponents outside of a designated ring. The bot uses a set of motors to control movement and a combination of algorithms to identify opponents and determine the best strategy to outmaneuver them.

How we built it

We built the Sumo-bot using an Arduino NANO board. Key components include: Motors and wheels for movement. Ultrasonic sensors for detecting nearby objects and opponents. Infrared sensors to help detect the edge of the arena and avoid falling off. Software algorithms to process sensor data, making real-time decisions based on proximity to opponents and edges of the ring. (C++)

Challenges we ran into

Had to design the bot to fit within competition specifications, balancing size, weight, and power for maximum agility.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

We successfully built a functional autonomous robot capable of detecting opponents and navigating the arena. Allowing us to compete in the tournament, and make it to the Quarter-Finals!

What we learned

Before this project, we had no experience in C++ and Arduino, and we also learned the importance of iteration and testing within our process, as we ran into some issues right before the competition.