OpenBot: Transforming smartphones into Robots
In an era where technology plays a significant role in our everyday lives, the OpenBot project from the isl-org organisation on GitHub provides a novel approach to robot creation. Using an affordable Android smartphone, the OpenBot project helps hobbyists, students, and researchers transform a simple device into a low-cost robot. If you are an enthusiast willing to explore the depths of robotics or an academic researching robotics, this project could be your starting point.
Project Overview:
The OpenBot project's antecedent goal is to promote and facilitate the use of robotics technology in education and research fields. It aims to solve the high costs associated with traditional robotic systems by leveraging the powerful computation and sensor capabilities of Android smartphones. The project focuses on an audience passionate about robotics and automation and targets hobbyist, students, researchers, and academics.
Project Features:
One of the critical features of OpenBot is its affordability. By using an Android smartphone as the robot's brain, it reduces the costs drastically. The smartphone's processing power, sensory, and communication capabilities are harnessed to control and communicate with the robot. OpenBot provides the feature of autonomous navigation, object tracking, following, and recognition. For instance, a student can program the robot to navigate through a predefined path, carry out object recognition, and take suitable actions.
Technology Stack:
OpenBot predominantly used Android development tools and Python for its development. Java was used for the creation of controller apps, while Python plays a significant role in training the robot through machine learning. The project utilized TensorFlow, an open-source AI library, for creating Autonomous Driving Policies. It also uses Arduino board and libraries for communicating with and controlling the robot's mechanical parts.
Project Structure and Architecture:
OpenBot's project structure comprises of three primary components: The Android app, the Arduino firmware, and the Policy Learning code. The Android app serves as the controller and communication point, while the Arduino firmware assists in the functionality of the mechanical parts. The Policy Learning code, written in Python, enables the robot to learn from the data and improve itself. These different components work cohesively to make OpenBot function.
