Introduction:

First and foremost, the objective of this capstone project is to successfully construct a robot that will successfully follow a fixed path based on color. The robot's settings will be set using a mobile application on a smartphone. These settings will allow the user to specify the color and trajectory that the robot has to follow, in addition to controlling the motor speed. The robot will also have an autonomous mode where it will rely on color sensors to maneuver a colored path. At the same time, the robot will try to detect other colors in its environment and react according to the settings established by the mobile application. For instance, suppose the robot is following a blue border, then suddenly it detects red underneath it. The robot will react based on the settings in the mobile application. As well, the robot will have a controlled mode where it will follow a path based on the coordinates sent to it by the mobile application. This will be done through the wireless Bluetooth module. Nevertheless, one of the challenges will be managing the proper power output to ensure that all the components in the robot work properly. Finally, the plan is to finish the capstone project within a semester, approximately four months.

Hardware Development:

Initially, the hardware development side of this project requires a custom fully functional circuit board be created. Therefore, in order to create the custom circuit board, a software tool called DipTrace will be used to design the schematic and route the circuit board. The files generated by the program will be sent to a circuit board production company to be ordered. The robot will use several sensors such as proximity sensors to maneuver through its environment. One of the sensors will be a color sensor that will detect the color of the environment the robot is maneuvering in. The color sensor will be located underneath the robot. The other sensor will be a touch sensor that will detect an object in front of the robot as it maneuvers through its environment. The touch sensor will be located in front of the robot. The sensors will be placed in the most efficient way for the robot to detect and function in its environment. In summation, a wireless module that uses Bluetooth will be used to connect a smartphone to the robot.

Software Development:

At the outset, the software development and computer programming side of this project requires a custom fully functional mobile application that will be used to send instructions to the robot. Hence, mobile computing will be required to develop a mobile application that will set colors, with instructions, the robot will follow. For example, the mobile application will be able to set the color red to reverse. As a result, when the robot's color sensor detects the color red, the robot will move in reverse or backwards. Another example would be to set the color green to turn around. If the robot's color sensor detects the color green, the robot will turn around and move in the opposite direction. Additionally, the mobile application will have a design that is simple and user friendly. To conclude, the mobile application will be developed using Kotlin and Android Studio.

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