A brainstorming has been carried out to get ideas for the project of this course. Documented below are some of the ideas that came to mind. These ideas are still very rough and will be discussed with the course instructor for their feasibility. There are definitely pros and cons for each idea but they will not be discussed here. The order of these ideas is random and does not represent any level of preference or importance.
Idea 1: A robot that teaches kids about traffic signs
Traffic signs are very important for road safety. However, often time traffic signs are only understood by adults. Kids, especially young kids, are often unaware of traffic signs and this makes them oblivious to any hazard they might encounter on the road. Therefore, to keep kids safe on the road, it is important to teach them, if not all, some of the most commonly used traffic signs.
The purpose of this project is to make learning traffic signs fun by creating a robot that can teach kids traffic signs. The idea for this project is to create a robot that can
1. Move by following line on a road map (see Figure 1).
2. React according to different traffic signs (e.g. Stop in front of a STOP sign).
3. Provide auditory feedback (e.g. "You're approaching a school area" when there is a SCHOOL
sign).
If the 3 features mentioned above were feasible, some of the additional cool features that can possibly be added are
1. Kids will be able to control the robot using some sort of remote control.
2. The robot will be able to provide some sort of feedback when kids are "violating" traffic rules.
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| Figure 1: Road Map Sketch |
Idea 2: A remote controlled selfie stick/ tripod that moves
Whether or not you are using one, selfie stick is a now a THING that a lot of people own so that they can take pictures of themselves and other people without having to ask for someone to be the "photographer". However, with a selfie stick, a person still has to be assigned to be the "photographer" who needs to hold the stick and make sure that everyone is included in the picture. In addition, there is a limitation in terms of the range of "scenery" that can be included in the picture.
The idea for this project is to create a selfie stick or tripod that can
1. Stand without someone holding it.
2. Move by being remote controlled ( controlled by hand movement, not buttons).
3. Avoid obstacles.
The figure below illustrates a rough idea of how this robot might possibly look like.
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| Figure 2: Design Sketch |
Idea 3: A robot that plays "Tag" with kids with Autism
Kids with Autism usually prefer to play alone rather than interact with others. Because of this reason, often time they miss the opportunity of playing team games such as "Tag".
The purpose of this project is to provide kids with Autism a chance to experience and play a simple version of team game "Tag" without having to interact with other people. The idea of this project is to create a robot that can
1. "Run away" when someone is approaching
2. "Freeze" when being touched once (one tap)
3. "Unfreeze" when being touched twice (two taps)
4. Avoid obstacles.
These are the ideas that came to mind so far and more ideas will be added at a later time, if any.
