Pokey the Fire-Fighting Robot

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1 Introduction
The overall objective of the robot is to be able to navigate a robot through a
standardized maze, detect a candle flame, and extinguish it. To this end, there are four
different subsystems that enable the robot to view its environs and aid it in maneuvering
the maze to accomplish its task. In order to discover where the robot is relative to its
environs, the wall following subsystem has been implemented. To aid the robot, there are
white lines in the maze that signify doorways, the starting and finishing circle for the
robot, and an area of radius one foot that is centered on the candle. In order to make the
most use of these lines, there is a line detection subsystem to aid the robot in traversing
the maze. A motor control system must be implemented to maneuver the robot through
the maze based on its interpretation of its position.


2.1 SENSOR SYSTEMS
Sensors are the eyes and ears of the robot. Without sensors, as with virtually every
other system, the robot is useless. If no sensors are on the robot, the robot blindly follows
its own will, often ending up in a heap of parts alongside a wall, at the bottom of a large
pit, or well. Of course, there is a vested interest in keeping the robot intact and able to do
its job, so it is very worthwhile to have a fully functional sensor system.


2.1.1 Wall Following Subsystem
The land area of Australia is about 7.7 million square kilometers, which is almost
the same as the land area of the United States. We
throw in this fact not because it is an interesting tidbit, but to make a point. While there is
a lot of land on this earth, it does not make much difference if one’s location is unknown.
This is as important for a robot as it is for a human. While this particular robot is not
going to be roaming across the Australian Outback, it will be navigating a standardized
98-inch by 98-inch maze.


2.1.2 Line Detection Subsystem
The rules for the competition contain a few regulations concerning the placement of
white lines in the maze. White lines are placed where there is a doorway into a room and to
signify an arc of radius one-foot, in the center of which the candle lies. A circle approximately
one-foot in diameter is placed in the maze to act as a starting and stopping point for the robot.
There are several good reasons why these lines and circles are in the maze.