Mobile platforms

Task 1 – Mobile Robots

Localization is one of the most fundamental competencies required by an autonomous robot, an essential precursor to making decisions about future actions. Robot localization is the process of determining where a mobile robot is located with respect to its environment. A common approach uses Global Positioning System (GPS) coordinates fused with other sensors such as an Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) and a barometer to enhance positioning accuracy. However, how would you design a reliable localization strategy using onboard sensors for GPS denied environments such as most indoors environments considering ground or aerial vehicles?

Task 2 – Controls

Proportional-Integral-Derivative (PID) controllers are widely employed and quite effective. Discuss and illustrate the effect of each of the PID parameters on the dynamics of a closed-loop system and demonstrate how to use a PID controller to improve a system’s performance.

Task 3 – The Robot Operating System

Install ROS in your machine and successfully run RViz.