We designed an autonomous ground robot and supporting drone to complete a series of physical tasks without human control for a student competition. Our system performed actions including pressing buttons, entering codes on a keypad, turning a crank, and removing or placing objects, all within a strict time limit. We prioritized reliable task execution and fast response throughout the design process.
We collaborated with a team of electrical and computer engineering students and organized ourselves into four subteams. The Chassis and Drive- train subteam designed the robot body, movement system and subteam integration. The Tasks subteam developed mechanisms for each physical task. The Navigation and Mapping subteam programmed autonomous movement, and the Drone subteam enabled color detection and wireless communication.
We adopted separate, purpose-built mechanisms for each task, emphasizing simple designs to reduce errors and improve reliability. For object removal, we built an extending arm to push the object. For object placement, we designed a holder that inverts to release the object. To turn the crank, we used a rotating bar. For both the keypad and button press tasks, we developed a rotating gear with an extending arm and sliding motors at each end to actuate the buttons. The drone identifies light colors and transmits that information wirelessly to the ground robot. This architecture ensures task accuracy, simplified control and maximized scoring potential during com- petition runs. Note: This team won first place in the 2026 IEEE SoutheastCon Hardware Competition!
