Projects talk:2015s1-16 System Engineering a Trash Collecting Robot
Contents
Introduction
TODO
Project Team
Students
- Sebastian Roschi
- James Millett
- Sam Bahrami
- Jason Brodie
- Shiwei Sun
- Junxiong Zhao
Supervisors
- Dr. Braden Phillips
- Assoc. Prof. Michael Liebelt
Project Details
Aim
The aim of this project is to produce the hardware design for an adaptable autonomous robot that is optimised for trash collection, yet capable of completing a wider range of tasks. The informally named TrashBot will be used by a team of researchers from the University of Adelaide's School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, working in the field of artificial intelligence (AI) architectures. It is their aim to use the completed TrashBot to test their work on a new AI computer known as the Street Engine.
Background and Motivation
TrashBot will be a physical testing platform for AI research. It will provide a robot suited to a variety of different applications. The group that will benefit most from the project are the users of the robot, the academic and postgraduate researchers at the UofA.
Currently at the UofA, researchers are developing a new kind of computer processor, the Street Engine. This has been proposed as an efficient processor for real-time and embedded AI systems. Ultimately, a Street Engine will be realised in a custom integrated circuit; however in the expected lifetime of the TrashBot, the Street Engine will be simulated using a conventional computer. The TrashBot will provide researchers an opportunity to develop and demonstrate AI agents for the simulated Street Engine. These agents will be used to evaluate the Street Engine and guide its development. With TrashBot they will provide a demonstration of the benefits and capabilities of the new architecture. Thus the overarching motivation for developing TrashBot is to develop a robot that will facilitate advances in AI at the UofA.
The concept of a trash collecting robot was chosen for many reasons. It is an application of AI that is easily understood by the public and that has clear societal benefits. It is a task that can be constrained to be manageable at the beginning, for example by limiting the kinds of trash collected and simplifying the environment in which the robot operates. However, the unconstrained task of collecting many kinds of trash in a complex human environment, will require advanced AI and is an appropriate challenge for long-term research. To perform this task the robot will require physical capabilities that are useful for other tasks. This means that the robot hardware can be repurposed easily for other applications and hence provide a greater research benefit to the UofA.
Method
TODO
Robotic Design
TODO
Project Management
Timeline
The timeline for this project tracks both the system engineering deliverables as well as the academic deliverables as part of the honours course. This was done to ensure ample time was allocated to both aspects, allowing the team to manage their time effectively to produce high quality outputs with minimal stress.
While a Gantt Chart is normally the standard form of expressing the timeline of a project, it does not succinctly capture the parallel work conducted when the team separates for its deliverables. Instead, the team has produced the timeline in the form of a flowchart to ensure these details are clearly presented.
Management Strategy
Team management is primarily handled through the distribution of roles and responsibilities between team members. These roles include team leader, communication coordinator, risk manager, chief technician, chief editor and chief reviewer. There are also roles which rotate weekly; the chairperson and secretary roles.
Task allocation for the project has primarily been handled by the team leader. It has been his responsibility to ensure the fair and democratic distribution of work between all team members. It is important for the process to remain democratic, as continued sub-optimal allocation could be a cause of contention between team members as the project progresses. Each team member will have their say as to which areas they wish to work on, and the leader will strive to ensure it comes to fruition. In times of conflict, the team leader shall use his judgement to resolve any disputes.
To help the team keep up to date on each member's allocated work, a weekly work allocation document will be created by the team leader. The document will contain a table showing each team member's task for the week and its corresponding deadline. It will also act as a good record of the division of labour throughout the project, helping to minimise potential disputes and keep the team on track.
Budget
The cost of the TrashBot system is an important consideration for the project team. The project supervisors have provided an informal budget estimate of approximately $25,000 AUD for the entirety of the TrashBot system. It is the responsibility of the SenSys team to lead the high-level and detailed designs towards a system that adheres to this budget. To ensure that the budget is not exceeded, cost estimates have been produced as the team work on each stage of the design, refining the estimation as the design grows in detail. At this stage the cost estimate for the TrashBot system is as follows:
| System/Subsystem | Estimated Price (AUD) |
|---|---|
| TrashBot > Structure > Movement > Manipulation > Power > Sensor > Logic & Processing |
$12,000+ > $TBD > $1,000 > $5,000 > $TBD > $2,400 > $4,000 |
| Command and Monitoring Centre | $0 |
| Charging Station | $400 |
| Beacons | $50 ea. |
| Total | $12,800+ |
The price of the Structure subsystem is yet to be determined as it primarily consists of custom built components. The SenSys team has scheduled a meeting with workshop staff from the University of Adelaide in order to determine the price. The CMC is planned to consist of a repurposed laptop, and as such will incur no additional cost.
Since the project is primarily a research project there is no immediate need for the honours budget allocated to the project team. The budget will either be unused, or go to products to be displayed at the Ingenuity expo. Possible uses include a display model of the TrashBot or a proof of concept for one its internal systems.
Risk Analysis
During the early stages of the project, the risk manager and team leader worked together to produce a risk management plan. The document identifies the major risks of the project and presents mitigation strategies for each in the form of a risk register. Risk summary table and an example register:
