The Blue Robot

The Blue Robot is designed to navigate obstacle courses that mimic biathlons in the Winter Olympics. Ours is named the way it is because of its strong reinforcement with blue tape!

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Inspiration

The Blue Robot was a creature that descended from the skies above to grace the corridors of the Myhal Centre for Engineering and Entrepreneurship in honour of the Winter Olympics. Its lonely soul sought a new home to heal the scars of its past; it was lost and needed direction, so it chose to test itself with sports. Desperately searching for a purpose in life, the Blue Robot learned how to cling to colourful biathlon views, for there was simply no other way for light to be a part of its miserable existence. In its making, the Blue Robot stumbled upon a truly majestic concept created by the younger generation of humans: 67. The robotic code that it was forced to follow suddenly took on a new form, influenced by this charming two-digit number. The Blue Robot learned the magic of human innovation and discovered meaning in its life. It became more than just a tool following a routine; it became a true, living thing. This motivational story is what gave us the inspiration to make the Blue Robot here and now.

What it does

The robot must pick up a box which acts as an "entry key" to the different sections of the track. We will first attempt the red path, which is the obstacle course. After dropping off the box to enter the obstacle course, we will reupload code to the robot so that it can navigate the course and retrieve a new box at the end. After picking up the new box, the robotwill follow the red path to the end and turn when it sees the green path. Along the green path, there will be another point to drop off the box and reupload code. This reuploaded code will make the robot climb up a curved or straight ramp. At the top of the ramp, the robot will be randomly stopped (wtf does this mean) on a raised platform. The robot must then follow coloured paths in the order of blue, red, and green to navigate to the black centre that has a ball. Upon reaching the centre, we will reupload code for the robot to shoot the ball towards the blue zone of the platform. After this, the robot will go back down the ramp and we will be finished.

How we built it

We built the Blue Robot using the hardware kit provided by UTRA Hacks. As a team, we had some people work on problem definition, hardware assembly, and software in the later hours. We used the Arduino IDE (in C++) for all programming.

Challenges we ran into

  • Calibrating sensors
  • Controlling movement
  • Hardware issues (e.g. motor not spinning correctly)
  • Assembly

Accomplishments that we're proud of

  • Collaborating on code development
  • Finishing a robot that can move

What we learned

  • How to use Git
  • ChatGPT code is not always unreliable
  • How to properly power an Arduino and H-bridge

What's next for The Blue Robot

The Blue Robot will keep working hard to became a star Olympic Athlete!

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