Android-controlled Multiple Hazard Detection, Path Retracing, and Rescue Robot, or AMRBot
ABSTRACT
In case of scenarios such as a building collapse, an impending collapse and the risk to rescue workers is immense. There may even be a fire or gas leak which would make the entire site hazardous and not a safe place for rescue workers. And in case of building security, the current method involves using human guards to patrol certain areas for intruders. Humans, as we know, are prone to discrepancies. They may end up sleeping on the job, or may be tricked. Robots on the other hand, are immune to these. In military situations, landmines are a dangerous and life threatening weapon. The current system of using humans with metal detectors is dangerous and puts human lives at risk.
In the days of mobile computing, where almost every person has a mobile phone, it would be simpler to eliminate the risk of putting people in hazardous and life-threatening areas by using a portable Android-powered master control unit located a safe distance away to control a robot.
The Android-controlled Multiple Hazard Detection, Path Retracing, and Rescue Robot, or AMRBot, for short, is a robot powered by the latest Android operating system that requires only a phone to control the robot over a distance of nearly 100 meters. The process involved in building the AMRBot includes the building of a chassis, assembling of all the components and sensors, and finally programming the Arduino using Embedded C and developing an Android application using Java. The objective here is to have a main station that can be portable and easy for anyone with a phone to take control of, and a robot sent into hazardous areas with the ability to sense gas leaks and human beings. A path retracing feature makes the AMRBot suitable for security patrols. Adding a metal detector makes the AMRBot well suited for military based landmine detection. The master control unit used to control the AMRBot is an Android powered phone or tablet, which is easily available. The AMRBot is powered by an ATMega processor on an Arduino Uno board using a motor driver shield and a Bluetooth modem capable of support for the new Bluetooth 4.0 standard that supports data to be sent and received up to a distance of 100 meters.
This report documents the design process for the AMRBot and programming for the Android application.