Project
| # | Title | Team Members | TA | Documents | Sponsor |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24 | 4WD Wedge + Powered Roller Antweight Battlebot |
Junyan Bai Yuxuan Guo |
Zhuoer Zhang | ||
| # 4WD Wedge + Powered Roller Antweight Battlebot Team Members: - Yuxuan Guo (yuxuang7) - Junyan Bai (junyanb2) # Problem Antweight (≤ 2 lb) combat robots must remain mobile and controllable while enduring impacts, motor stalls, and power transients. Many teams lose matches due to loss of traction, getting stuck on opponents/walls, or electronics brownouts and wireless dropouts that lead to uncontrollable behavior or resets. Therefore we want a competitive design that emphasizes reliable control and survivability: a low wedge to get under opponents and a powered front roller to help pin/deflect opponents and prevent getting stuck, while using a custom PCB that integrates wireless control, motor driving, and safety shutoffs. # Solution We will build a 2-lb antweight combat robot featuring: - A low-profile front wedge for ground control and deflection - A powered front roller mounted above the wedge lip to assist in pinning, lifting slightly, and guiding opponents - Four-wheel drive (4WD) for pushing power and maneuverability - A custom control PCB centered on an ESP32 to provide PC-based wireless control (WiFi/Bluetooth), motor control, and robust safety mechanisms The system is divided into four main subsystems: (1) Power & Safety, (2) Control & Communication, (3) Drive Train, and (4) Roller Mechanism. The design prioritizes predictable behavior under stalls/impacts and includes automatic shutdown on wireless link loss. # Solution Components ## Subsystem 1 — Power & Safety (Power Management and Distribution) **Function:** Deliver stable power to drive and roller systems while protecting logic electronics from brownouts and ensuring safe shutdown. **Safety features:** - Manual hard shutdown via kill switch - Firmware-controlled motor disable line(s) - Brownout monitoring (ADC measurement of battery/logic rail) ## Subsystem 2 — Control & Communication **Function:** Receive operator commands from a PC, process safety logic, and output PWM/enable signals for motor drivers. **Components:** - Microcontroller + wireless: Espressif ESP32-WROOM-32D (WiFi/Bluetooth) - Status indicators: LEDs for power/armed/link state (part numbers TBD) - Optional orientation sensing (stretch): MPU-6050 IMU module (GY-521) for flip detection and drive remapping **Firmware logic:** - Drive mixing (arcade/tank) for 4WD control - Roller speed control - Link-loss failsafe: if command packets stop for > X ms, disable all motors - Input shaping (rate limiting / exponential curve) for controllable driving ## Subsystem 3 — Drive Train (4WD Locomotion) **Function:** Provide reliable mobility and pushing power during combat. **Components:** - 4x Drive motors **Mechanical:** - Four wheels mounted to a 3D-printed chassis - Wheel size chosen to improve traction and reduce high-centering (exact diameter TBD) ## Subsystem 4 — Powered Front Roller (Control Weapon) **Function:** Improve control by pinning/deflecting opponents and reducing the chance of getting stuck on wedges or walls. **Components (with part numbers):** - Roller motor: small brushed DC motor (e.g., N20/130-size class), final selection TBD - Roller driver: shared motor driver family with drive train - Roller structure: 3D-printed roller with compliant sleeve (TPU) or textured surface for grip (material TBD) # Criterion For Success The project will be considered successful if all criteria below are met: 1. **Weight compliance:** Total robot mass (including battery) is **< 2.0 lb**. 2. **Manual shutdown:** Manual kill switch stops all motion within **≤ 2 seconds**. 3. **Failsafe shutdown:** On wireless link loss (no valid commands for a defined timeout), all motors are disabled within **≤ 2 seconds**. 4. **Mobility reliability:** Robot can drive continuously for **≥ 3 minutes** without MCU resets or power brownouts. 5. **Control effectiveness:** Robot can push a standardized test object (defined weight) across **1 meter** on the arena surface without stalling into a reboot. 6. **Roller reliability:** Roller can run continuously for **≥ 60 seconds** without causing logic rail brownout or driver overheat shutdown. 7. **Impact robustness:** After **10 wall-impact tests** (full-speed bump into a rigid barrier), the robot remains operational with no loose power connections and no repeated resets. |
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