Robotics Car

NUS Computer Engineering

(2 months)

Built a remote controlled car running a Real-Time Operating System (RTOS).


Overview

As part of a course on RTOS, developed a robotic car to navigate an obstacle course as quickly as possible. The system runs RTOS on an ARM Cortex-M0+ microcontroller, and uses an ESP32 for wireless control. Here is our video documentary:

Key Contributions

  • Co-developed the car’s OS architecture, including thread management, resource scheduling, and task prioritisation.
  • Initiated control signal protocol change (from HTTP to UDP) to reduce latency by 50%.
  • Implemented a flashing light feature to meet course requirements.
  • Designed and procured a custom acrylic chassis to enhance vehicle dynamics.

Outcomes

  • Achieved the fastest lap time in the class by over 20%.
  • Exceptionally low control latency from our optimisation of RTOS and communication protocol.