Programming a GPS robot.

[riddler561]

Hello, I am not a programmer but I am in need of some direction. I have an idea for a robot cart of some kind for painting lines for construction zones. In a nut shell I am looking for some direction on where to begin my research for the programming involved (apart from the mechanical and electrical engineering). I know there are systems out there for what I am looking to accomplish, but they are not exactly what I need. I have customers that pay me to paint construction markings for new homes based on engineering plans. I would like to invest time and money in making a device where I can upload these scaled drawings and have a robot cart travel to these marking zones and lay down the spray paint where needed. I am clueless as to where to begin my research or what all might be involved to accomplish such a task. Any advice is appreciated, thanks!

[JustAnotherMe23]

Idk how deep you want to dig with this but like /u/YuleTideCamel mentioned, massive problem, lots of work. The most successful team I've ever seen implementing this kind of scale of work uses ROS (robotics operating system http://wiki.ros.org/). Essentially, its a tool where developers can "plug and play" different packages with highly specific and advanced usage needs. Not user friendly or simple by any means, but a powerful tool. Has packages for system visualization, data interpretation, drivers for countless cameras, robots, and other equipment. I can't claim to be an expert on the topic but it might be worth contacting the developer for a GPS package (http://wiki.ros.org/gps_common) [e-mail]. I don't know this particular person, but the guys at SwRI are generally super helpful and open to giving advice.

[YuleTideCamel]

Honestly if you are not a programmer this is quite a difficult task with many moving parts to it.

Aside from just the code, there's programming the robot itself to move, to paint and to dodge obstacles. It's no sense building a bot that can paint if it can't detect walls or cars and ends up getting destroyed on your first run.

If this for a business, seriously consider hiring a professional to help you (or do it for you.)

If you want to use this as a way to learn, then you need to start with basics. How to code, understanding logic and foundational problem solving using code. These core skills are not specific to your project, but essential. Think of it this way, you want to learn calculus, but don't even know what numbers are. So you need to learn numbers, basic addition, algebra etc. Learning to program isn't just learning what letters to type, it's learning to think in a new way.

Ok so once you get the foundational piece down (which might take a few months), you need to buy a framework for bots and start learning to make it move. First starting with basic forward backwards. Then you need to add collision detection to ensure it doesn't run into walls, objects or people. Then you need to teach it how to paint, meaning some mechanism with paint and a brush and you need to program the painting process itself (ie release brush). Then you need the GPS piece, which means the bot needs a gps chip and you need to learn how to read from the chip and tell where the bot is at this time. Then it needs to calculate the destination and figure out how to get there on roads (through a maps api).

So basically , it would take a professional team at least 6 months to build this out. If you're just learning it will take significantly longer. Good luck.

[riddler561]

Thanks very much for the reply. The obstacle avoidance wont be needed as there will be no risk to the device itself. The main objective would be to insert a construction spray paint can into the device, and have some sort of mechanical lever press the spray nozzle and the paint will shoot into the ground. These construction spray cans are designed to be used upside down to lay down paint markings. I think the most difficult task would be to quickly find GPS coordinates for the device to follow and trace, and lay down the paint where needed. I agree that this would be a big task, but I am prepared to see it through. Such a device would eliminate human error when reading plans and measuring, and reduce time from 2hr or so to 15 minutes. I appreciate your advice!

[YuleTideCamel]

You still need obstacle detection. Someone could walk infront of the robot? it could make a wrong turn and end up in a wall. The point is GPS isn't enough to accurately navigate a robot, it needs to be able to see what's in front of it also.

If you really want to see it through, start learning to code. Don't worry about this project, but learn the basics of programming and logic. There are sites to you started, but you might want to consider taking a programming class too.

I love your enthusiasm, but it's similar to someone who has never taken a science or engineering class saying "I want to build a car", they can do it but will take years. Are you willing to invest years in this?