Project Info

Project Title: Autonomous Avoiding-Obstacle Robot Car

Team Name: Fast Robotics

Quarter: Spring 2025

Institution: University of California, San Diego

Team Members: Emma Nguyen, Momina Habibi, Yuwei Ren, Samvathna Em

Instructor: Ryan Kastner

Project Description:

Our project focuses on designing and building an autonomous robotic car capable of detecting and avoiding obstacles in real time. By using vision-based detection (AprilTags), we enable the robot to navigate a small space (2m x 2m) and respond to visual obstacles within 0.5 seconds. This system demonstrates how real-time decision-making and lightweight perception models can be used for safe, efficient navigation without full SLAM complexity.

Tools & Technologies:

⚙️ Qualcomm RB5 Platform

⚙️ mBot Robot Base

⚙️ ROS 2 foxy

⚙️ AprilTag Detection

⚙️ OpenCV

⚙️ Python / C++

⚙️ Ubuntu 22.04

Key Features:

☑️ AprilTag-based obstacle detection

☑️ Real-time camera input processing

☑️ Odometry

☑️ Reaction time within 500 ms

☑️ Remote Control Joystick

☑️ Speed: 10–15 cm/s