In my junior fall semester I took 2.12, Introduction to Robotics with Prof. H. Asada. In this class we applied our knowledge of inverse kinematics and dynamics, robotic design and computer vision to design and build soccer playing robots. Teams either built goalie robots or striker (kicking) robots.
My team of 6 opted to build a two handed goalie robot. Using a Kalman filter to track the ball and its predicted trajectory, our arms (powered by two Dynamixels each) could cover the 22" goal with ease. In a speed test, we found that our arms could move at a maximum point to point velocity of 3.5m per second. We named him Tim Howard.
I was worked with Jan on developing the algorithms to control the robot. This involved translating the kinematics into software, using the camera output to track the ball, and mapping optimal spline trajectories. We controlled the Dynamixels via USB, and wrote the code in Python. I also branded the robot, and made the presentations and diagrams and logo.
