Week 9: Final Design and Competition

During week 9, the final design and code for the robot came together.  There were still unresolved issues involved with turns.  When the robot changed surfaces from rug to regular floor, the wheels of the robot would drag, causing the turns to shorten.  Also, the battery severely affected the power of the motors which in turn affected the robot's ability to turn.

As stated last week, the infrared sensor was replaced by the light sensor in order to detect when the robot reached the candle.  This week, the code was finalized so that when the light sensor detected a change in the floor color, the robot would move slightly closer to the candle and then rotate back and forth as the fan put out the flame.  The following chart represents the final room search pattern:

 

The final competition took place on Sunday.  The robot performed somewhat well; it located the candle two out of three rounds, but both times the fan failed to extinguish the flame.  This problem could have been fixed if the robot moved closer to the candle or the fan produced more of an air flow.  The robot was able to extinguish a flame after the competition in the following video: