Student Competition: Mobile Robotics Training, Part 3: Designing Line Following Algorithms

Learn how to design line following algorithms for a mobile robot.

You will understand how line sensors work and their characteristics, like the output value range, and to use a single sensor to track the edge of a line. You will then learn to design on-off and PID-based line following algorithms in Simulink^®, and observe the difference in the results between the two.

In this video, you will also be introduced to the Simulation Map Generator App that will allow you to create a line following map from an actual image of the line track. You will learn how to use the generated map for simulating and testing your algorithms within Simulink.

A VEX EDR robot is used to demonstrate the performance of the line following algorithms on the microcontroller and to observe the difference in the results between the On-Off and PID algorithms.

Additional Resources:

• Line Follower with Arm and Claw Position Control using Line Tracker, Potentiometer, and Encoder
• Line Follower Application for Arduino Robot
• Mobile Robotics Training Toolbox
• Understanding Control Systems
• Simulink Coder Support for VEX Microcontroller
• Path Following for a Differential Drive Robot
• Parameter Tuning and Signal Logging with Serial External Modee -