Abstract:
Little Brother (L. B.) is an autonomous mobile robot designed to participate in a robot tank battle competition at The Cooper Union. The robot uses an RPLIDAR-A1, a 360° laser range scanner that scans and detects objects all around it, which aids in its ability to avoid obstacles. The robot uses infrared receiver diodes to detect infrared light sources, which prompts the robot to use its slingshot cannon. The slingshot mechanism is actuated by a servo motor which launches a ping pong ball at either a robot tank opponent or their home base.
L. B. 's chassis consists of three turquoise acrylic sheets, 3D printed standoffs and omnidirectional wheels. These pieces are held together with screws, nuts and washers. Using an Arduino Mega 2560 Rev3 as a microcontroller and L298N motor drivers, L.B. was able to meet all course criteria.