ENGS 89/90 Reports

Year of Graduation

2023

Project Advisor

Vikrant Vaze

Instructor

Solomon Diamond

Document Type

Report

Publication Date

2023

Abstract

Department of Transportation (DOT) regulations require broken-down trucks to deploy three safety triangles or flares to warn other cars of an oncoming hazard. Autonomous trucks currently have no ability to meet these requirements. Therefore, the DOT has sponsored Creare in developing an autonomous rover capable of deploying warning triangles. In order to focus on developing the rover itself, Creare has in turn sponsored our group to develop the rover’s triangle deployment system. Safety triangles that meet DOT specifications are unwieldy and complex for a robot to deploy, as the triangle sides are approximately 20 inches long and often incorporate a rotating base. After our initial reports, Creare is looking to explore alternatives to triangles, specifically a disc of LED lights that is currently seeking DOT approval to be used as a warning device. Our team developed a number of designs in parallel, before building a final prototype of the most feasible design as a proof of concept for deployment of safety triangles. Our final prototype lifts the triangles from the opening in the center using a crane concept capable of vertical and horizontal motion. Future development would include rotational motion, and an extendable turntable capable of rotation triangle bases. Our system utilizes the Robot Operating System 2 (ROS2) for electronic controls in order to interface directly with Creare’s current operational framework. We have also performed feasibility studies on other potential designs to recommend next steps for Creare as they work to bring the autonomous rover to production.

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