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The computer science department is sponsoring its first annual autonomous robotics competition this semester.
Teams of one to three students will test their computer-controlled devices noon Friday, Nov. 10 in the Acopian Engineering Center room 513. Lunch will be provided.
The competition’s goals are to allow students with ranging technical abilities to explore autonomous robots and gain a deeper understanding of computer-controlled devices. Participants do not need any technical background to compete.
Students will program a Hemisson robot, which has two wheels for legs, giving it full mobility and allows the device to twirl around its own length. Hemisson robots have infrared sensors that can detect objects in their paths, such as walls. Each robot can only be trained to sense and respond to its environment by performing simple tasks.
To begin, students used a Webots simulation environment, which provided a game-like atmosphere that allowed them to plan the robot’s activities before coming up with their own program.