Date of Graduation

5-2015

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering

Degree Level

Undergraduate

Department

Electrical Engineering

Advisor/Mentor

McCann, Roy A.

Abstract

Many industrial and commercial applications today are beginning to use autonomous systems to increase productivity and cut costs in production and manpower. Most of these applications are only semi autonomous; they still need assistance from a human to either start up or receive continual instructions. With the improvement of image processing techniques, camera processing capabilities and more efficient vehicles, a new wave of fully autonomous vehicles can be implemented. A simple system that uses a dedicated image processor connected to an RC vehicle can be developed to provide an example for the new techniques currently available. The Pixycam, a dedicated color-hue image processing camera, can be used to allow an RC vehicle to track colored objects autonomously. The results of this system show that the combination of the Pixycam and an RC vehicle can be used to successfully track and follow colored objects in well-lit environments. In order to demonstrate this system and its different capabilities, MATLAB and Pixymon were used to simulate and compare the image processing power of the camera. The final system and colored objects were then used to move the vehicle around on a flat surface testing the responsiveness of the system.

Included in

Robotics Commons

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