Our Mission
Satellite-Dash is a cutting-edge and secure automated delivery solution for transporting components to different stations within an enclosed space using a swarm of robots that can navigate pre-defined areas swiftly and safely.
 

Our Vision
Satellite-Dash is more than just a series of delivery robots. It is a system that prioritises and allocates delivery tasks quickly and efficiently. 

Current Problem

Existing Multi-robot transportation systems are mainly situated in factories and production lines, implemented by companies specialised in this domain. These solutions are usually expensive and cannot be easily dismantled for use in different areas.

Our Objectives

We aim to explore the engineering and architecture of multi-robot object transportation systems, optimising object transportation processes to fulfil company objectives while maintaining adaptability for use in multiple contexts.

The solution integrates high and low-level design, optimising transportation processes for systems with different layouts. The robot navigates environments through calibrating orientation and translational data from its sensors and is able to account for unforeseen obstacles in its path.

Web Server

With a centralised web server that parses and integrates incoming data, the robots are able to navigate dynamic layouts in real-time, recomputing and traversing optimal paths in the face of rapidly changing situations.

System Design

The system is designed to be integrable with multiple delivery robots. An overview of the components within the system and the mediums by which information is communicated at each level of the hierarchy can be seen in the diagram on the right.

Robot Communications and Systems Integration

The Arduino microcontroller controls the motor functions of the robot and parses information regarding the robot’s sensors in real-time. The IMU and ToF sensors provide an up-to-date awareness of its immediate surroundings, and its relative orientation, while the emergency stop button is linked to it in the case of emergencies - such that it will not be delayed by matters of serial communication.

Linked to the Arduino microcontroller is a Raspberry Pi single-board computer, which acts as the intermediary between the Arduino microcontroller and the web server. Transmitting information wirelessly, the Raspberry Pi serves as an excellent medium in providing up-to-date information, enabling the robots to behave as a coordinated robot swarm.

Robot Localization

The Raspberry Pi’s work in conjunction with the optical mice placed beneath the robot, which are wirelessly synced to the computer. Being linked directly to the computer, the webserver always possesses up-to-date information as to the robot’s relative location, without first needing to communicate through the Raspberry Pi, by parsing through both information sources at once.

On top of its communication capability, the Raspberry Pi’s camera is used to relocalize the robot whenever it reaches certain checkpoints, ensuring that any errors which accumulate over time are corrected quickly and efficiently.

With this system, multiple robots can be connected to a single web server, executing optimal delivery processes with minimal delay.