CS 372 Artificial Intelligence

Robot Building Lab

Session 4 



Exercises for this week


Write a program for your robot to run around its environment trying to avoid 
  obstacles in its way. Your robot needs a way to detect obstacles. You can either 
  use touch sensors (ON/OFF switches you used for Dogged last week) or infra-red 
  sensors. Infra-red sensors can allow you to sense obstacles even before the 
  robot is about to hit one. All you will need is a pair of sensors, one mounted 
  on the front left and one on the front right. Make sure that the sensors are 
  sturdily mounted and no parts of the assmpbly will fall off during bumps. A 
  simple strategy for this behavior could be to use the following simple set of 
  control rules:


    
  
  1. If you hit an obstacle, or detect that you are about to hit one, on your 
    left, stop, back up a little, and turn right just a bit.
    2. 
  
  2. If you hit an obstacle, or detect that you are about to hit one, on your 
    right, stop, back up a little, and turn leftjust a bit.
    3. 
  
  3. If you hits an obstacle straight on, or detect that you are about to hit 
    one, stop, back up a little, and turn left or right a bit.
    4. 
  
  4. If there are no obstacles in the way, go straight.
    5. 



These set of rules can be used to drive a robot through a maze. You may want 
  to try the behavior in various maze configurations: mazes can be configured 
  so that all turns are only right-handed turns, or only left-handed turns, or 
  both. You may need to adjust your robot's obstacle turning behavior (especially 
  in Rule 3) accordingly. Experiment with this.


You will also notice that the sixe of your robot can be critical to negotiating 
  a narrow maze. Try to make the robot body as compact as possible with out extending 
  too much beyond the wheels in the front or back.


Collecting Reactions


Once completed, you should invite some friends to observe the three creatures 
  and record their reactions for discussion.


 








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