News - United States of America
TerraROVER Indoor Navigation
A capstone senior design team of Boston University students (Andrew Cao, Kevin Chin, Namish Joshi, Kaedin Kurtz, Thanadol Sangprasert ) in the Mechanical Engineering program collaborated with Prof Caleb Farny (Boston University, GLOBE Mission EARTH), Geoffrey Bland (NASA Goddard, AREN Project), and Lisa Ogiemwonyi (Wayne RESA, AREN Project) to improve the TerraROVER’s functionality. Current TerraROVER systems are designed by AREN are restricted to outdoor application due to its current positioning sensing capability. The project goal was to develop an indoor navigation system and coordinate mapping within an enclosed setting, while preserving its core functionality of data collection and its role as an educational robotics platform. Throughout the capstone experience, we split our work into two distinct fields: the indoor navigation system and sensor integration for environmental data collection. Our chosen navigation method utilizes a 2D LiDAR sensor, which provides precise distance measurements and generates detailed maps of the enclosed space. To highlight visible variations in the rover’s environment, we used a light intensity sensor and thermal camera to capture changes in lighting and temperature. These data points are mapped onto a coordinate system generated by the LiDAR, ensuring spatial tracking of the environmental conditions throughout the room. This integration allows students to explore the intersection of robotics and STEM, helping to foster a welcoming environment for hands-on learning and exploration.
GLOBE Mission Earth News: Student Research & ActivitiesNews origin: Boston University School of Education