Author

Noah Johnson

Date of Award

2018

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelors

Department

Natural Sciences

First Advisor

Kalmanovich, Gary

Area of Concentration

Computer Science and Applied Mathematics

Abstract

Autonomous navigation is an important emerging technology with applications in warehouse automation, shipping, and personal navigation. An important step in being able to enter this new field is working with physical hardware. However, handson experimentation may prove too expensive for individuals at the undergraduate level, with common research platforms costing several thousand dollars. In this thesis, I present a design for a cheap ground vehicle capable of fusing sensor data into a local state estimate, the first step of navigation. Costs were minimized by using personal components most college students already own, namely a personal laptop and smartphone. This should be an effective base to allow wider entry into autonomous navigation research.

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