Autonomy: Science and Systems @ CU-ICAR

This repository is a part of course AuE-8230 "Autonomy: Science and Systems" at CU-ICAR (Spring 2023).

Course Description:

AuE-8230: Autonomy: Science and Systems, as the name suggests, introduces students to scientific (formulations) as well as technological (ROS-based implementation) advances in the field of autonomous systems. This course is handled by Dr. Venkat Krovi, Michelin Endowed SmartState Chair Professor of Vehicle Automation at Clemson University International Center for Automotive Research (CU-ICAR) and director of Automation, Robotics and Mechatronics Laboratory (ARMLab).

Group Name:

Tinker Twins: Chinmay Samak and Tanmay Samak are twin brothers, who use "Tinker Twins" as a personal brand (the team's name was therefore decided to reflect the same brand). The twins have come a long way tinkering with various tools and technologies, which has strengthened their scientific knowledge and skills. The duo has worked on various projects ranging from microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) to in-orbit space settlements, and almost everything in between. They have a particularly keen interest in the field of robotics and autonomous systems, and are specializing in the field of autonomous vehicles.

Group Members:

Chinmay Samak: I received the B.Tech. degree in Mechatronics Engineering with a gold medal from SRM Institute of Science and Technology in 2021. Having worked on several research projects in the field of autonomous vehicles, complemented with a solid background in mechatronics engineering, I have joined ARMLab at CU-ICAR as a direct Ph.D. candidate under the supervision of Dr. Venkat Krovi to pursue focused research in the field of vehicle automation. My research interests lie at the intersection of real and virtual worlds to create physically and graphically accurate digital twins. I am currently contributing towards projects such as VIPR-GS, OpenCAV, AutoDRIVE and F1Tenth.

Tanmay Samak: I received the B.Tech. degree in Mechatronics Engineering with a silver medal from SRM Institute of Science and Technology in 2021. Having worked on several research projects in the field of autonomous vehicles, complemented with a solid background in mechatronics engineering, I have joined ARMLab at CU-ICAR as a direct Ph.D. candidate under the supervision of Dr. Venkat Krovi to pursue focused research in the field of vehicle automation. My research interests lie in formulation and development of socially and situationally aware autonomous systems. I am currently contributing towards projects such as VIPR-GS, OpenCAV, AutoDRIVE and F1Tenth.

Repository Structure

The following collapsible sections highlight the high-level outcomes of each task. Furthermore, dedicated directory for each of the milestones has a detailed README.md of its own.

Mini Assignment 1: Picture-proofs of ROS-1 Noetic, ROS-2 Foxy installations

ROS-1 Noetic Installation	ROS-2 Foxy Installation

Mini Assignment 2: Video-proofs of ROS-1 Noetic, ROS-2 Foxy installations

ROS-1 Noetic Installation	ROS-2 Foxy Installation

Assignment 1-B: Robot open and closed-loop control in TurtleSim

Go in Circle	Go to Goal
Open Loop Square	Closed Loop Square

Group: Group details for the course during Spring 2023

Chinmay Samak: I received the B.Tech. degree in Mechatronics Engineering with a gold medal from SRM Institute of Science and Technology in 2021. Having worked on several research projects in the field of autonomous vehicles, complemented with a solid background in mechatronics engineering, I have joined ARMLab at CU-ICAR as a direct Ph.D. candidate under the supervision of Dr. Venkat Krovi to pursue focused research in the field of vehicle automation. My research interests lie at the intersection of real and virtual worlds to create physically and graphically accurate digital twins. I am currently contributing towards projects such as VIPR-GS, OpenCAV, AutoDRIVE and F1Tenth.

Tanmay Samak: I received the B.Tech. degree in Mechatronics Engineering with a silver medal from SRM Institute of Science and Technology in 2021. Having worked on several research projects in the field of autonomous vehicles, complemented with a solid background in mechatronics engineering, I have joined ARMLab at CU-ICAR as a direct Ph.D. candidate under the supervision of Dr. Venkat Krovi to pursue focused research in the field of vehicle automation. My research interests lie in formulation and development of socially and situationally aware autonomous systems. I am currently contributing towards projects such as VIPR-GS, OpenCAV, AutoDRIVE and F1Tenth.

Assignment 1-C: TurtleBot3 open-loop control in Gazebo simulator

1. Open-Loop Circle:

Slow (lin_vel = 0.25, ang_vel = 0.25)	Medium (lin_vel = 0.50, ang_vel = 0.50)	Fast (lin_vel = 0.75, ang_vel = 0.75)

2. Open-Loop Square:

Slow (lin_vel = 0.25, ang_vel = 0.25)	Medium (lin_vel = 0.50, ang_vel = 0.50)	Fast (lin_vel = 0.75, ang_vel = 0.75)

Assignment 2-B: TurtleBot3 open-loop control in reality

1. Teleoperation:

Physical TurtleBot3 Burger	Remote PC Terminal Window

2. Open-Loop Circle:

Slow (lin_vel = 0.05, ang_vel = 0.2)	Medium (lin_vel = 0.10, ang_vel = 0.4)	Fast (lin_vel = 0.15, ang_vel = 0.6)

3. Open-Loop Square:

Slow (lin_vel = 0.05, ang_vel = 0.2)	Medium (lin_vel = 0.10, ang_vel = 0.4)	Fast (lin_vel = 0.15, ang_vel = 0.6)

Assignment 3-A: TurtleBot3 emergency braking, wall following & obstacle avoidance in simulation & reality

1. Simulation:

Emergency Braking	Wall Following	Obstacle Avoidance

2. Real World:

Collision Avoidance - TurtleBot3	Collision Avoidance - Remote PC

Assignment 3-B: TurtleBot3 vision processing, tracking & following in simulation & reality

1. Simulation:

2. Real World:

Lane Following - TurtleBot3	Lane Following - Remote PC
AprilTag Tracking - TurtleBot3	AprilTag Tracking - Remote PC

Capstone Project: TurtleBot3 autonomous navigation (gymkhana challenge) in simulation & reality

1. Simulation:

2. Real-World:

3. Robustness Testing:

Simulation: Forward Direction; Start at Wall Following	Simulation: Forward Direction; Start at Line Following	Simulation: Forward Direction; Start at AprilTag Tracking	Simulation: Inverse Direction; Start at Line Following
Real-World: Forward Direction; Day; Start at Wall Following	Real-World: Forward Direction; Night; Start at Line Following	Real-World: Forward Direction; Night; Start at AprilTag Tracking	Real-World: Inverse Direction; Night; Start at Line Following

4. Individual Tasks:

Wall Following - Simulation	Wall Following - TurtleBot3	Wall Following - Remote PC
Obstacle Avoidance - Simulation	Obstacle Avoidance - TurtleBot3	Obstacle Avoidance - Remote PC
Line Following - Simulation	Line Following - TurtleBot3	Line Following - Remote PC
Stop Sign Detection - Simulation	Stop Sign Detection - TurtleBot3	Stop Sign Detection - Remote PC
AprilTag Tracking - Simulation	AprilTag Tracking - TurtleBot3	AprilTag Tracking - Remote PC