User-Aided Tracking Robot

Sammanfattning: The use of domestic robots seems strikingly sparse in comparison to other fields of modern technology. It is plausible to assume that the lack of pull within the area is due to an unbalance between necessity and cost for the average customer, which in turn could be caused by a prevailing belief that complete autonomy is a must for a domestic robot. This thesis considers a simplified take on tracking and a robot that on the contrary is completely de-pendent on user involvement. Three sides to such an application were stud-ied; the prospect of using infrared light for directional sensing, the di↵erence in performance between infrared and ultrasonic distance-measurement and the complications that are related to omni-wheel maneuvering. The bulk of the research was conducted with the help of a robotic prototype that was constructed by the authors.The outcome of the research boils down to three conclusions. Utilizing infrared communication in a long range while maintaining an angular re-ception field that is narrow poses many difficulties, it can however not be dismissed as a way of determining the desired direction of travel for the kind of tracking application that is considered. The results indicate that a distance-measuring sensor using ultrasonic sound performs more consistently than one using infrared light, wherefore ultrasonic technology is deemed to be preferable within the context. Finally, although a non-regulated motor-drive has an eminently negative affect on the dynamics of an omni-wheel setup, there is reason to believe that it would not pose an issue in a func-tioning tracking applicationFrom a broader perspective the outcome of this research might point a finger in a whole new direction of domestic robotics.