Future Considerations

Lighter build

  • Current build weighs ~60lbs, largely from motors

Return home functionality

  • Use meshtastic system to send goalpose to robot

Battery life / monitor

  • Look into different types of batteries to prioritize capacity

  • Motors last 30 minutes at maximum speed

  • Find safer alternative to LiPo

  • Implement fuel guage

Upgrade GPS capabilities

  • Upgrade NEO to ZED

  • Invest in L5 GPS

  • Work on RTK

Upgrade sensors

  • 4D LiDAR

  • Camera (computer vision)

  • Upgrade / remove ultrasonic sensors

  • Consider multiple IMUs for redundancy

  • Motor encoders (already have, but need to be configured / fully implemented with ROS2)

Nvidia (ISAAC) ROS 2 Projects

  • Currently not using any of the Jetson’s AI processing capabilities

  • Computer vision, user identification, remote access, etc.

Error handling / user-friendly debugging

  • Parse logs from different nodes so not printing all at once

  • Process errors behind-the-scenes and only show user the diagnostic summary

  • Stop, handle, & restart ROS2 (or some other solution) when there is a fatal error