... to collaboration !

Once our robot was completely assembled, we had to focus on the computer program. The pushing robots can work in two distinct manners :

• The Leader : It is placed in the middle of the band and right in front of the RICA IV’s mobile base. The main function of the leader is to guide the four others pushing robots. The leader calculates the path of the mobile base using sensors placed on the back of the leader. With the right computer program, the pushing robot can adapt its path on real time and follow the RICA’s mobile base.

• The Slave : The slaves are placed on the sides of the leader. With the use of sensors on the sides, they have to keep the same path than the leader in order to clear correctly the path with the five pushing robots.

In case the pushing robot is a slave, the computer program uses infrared sensors on its sides to calculate the path of the leader or the path of the slave next to the leader in order to follow the team.

On the other side, if the pushing robot is the leader, it uses ultrasound sensors on its back in order to precisely calculate the mobile base’s path and to keep a certain distance between the two. The speed can be adapted in a relative way.