Building on my initial idea to create an assistive device, I have decided to create a robot that serves as a walking assistant by warning the user of possible obstructions along the way. The robot would be voice controlled to give commands such as the direction of the robot. Based on the reading of an ultrasonic sensor the walking buddy would send out signals through the speaker to alert the user. Additionally, the user would be informed of the distance between the next obstruction to have a better sense while walking. If time permits, I plan to include the option of controlling the robot through hand movements as well to make the model more inclusive.
Arduino:
- Uses the ultrasonic sensor to provide input on possible obstructions and sends it to p5.
- Based on the ultrasonic reading the speaker plays a tune to warn the user.
- The movement of the robot is controlled using the DC motors.
P5.js program:
- Begins with informing the user of the different tunes and voice commands.
- The user gives a voice command to change the direction of the robot.
- The direction is communicated to the Arduino and the robot starts moving accordingly
- P5 stores the distance from the next obstruction received from the Arduino and increases the frequency of the tune as the user gets closer to it.