Autonomous Solar Beach Buggy
This project presents one solution to a design competition posed by the University of Central Florida, namely to build an autonomously navigating beach vehicle that runs completely on solar energy. This solution is expected to meet various operational and safety requirements, making it a valid solution to both safe vehicular beach transportation and minimization of environmental and wildlife impact. In doing so, this multidisciplinary design incorporates several technologies such as proximity sensing, pathfinding with computer vision, solar panels and smart power regulators, and motor controls.
This inaugural competition, sponsored by Duke Energy and the University of Central Florida, was created to stimulate interest in both autonomous vehicle design and solar-powered devices in a way that introduces both technologies to everyday life. The beach-going experience is integral to the Florida lifestyle, and by providing an additional form of transportation in the beach environment, it becomes more accessible to more people. Moreover, this project is an excellent way to promote renewable energy and environmental awareness while addressing the safety concerns associated with beach vehicles through its autonomous collision avoidance system.
Several parameters were introduced in the competition guidelines to heighten the challenge such as payload, total distance, time limit, and budget. The resulting design includes an inventive frame design made out of wood, PVC, and aluminum, and a unique handmade solar array module on an adjustable mount. The following design description encompasses only the electrical and computer engineering-related systems, but the final product delivers an all-inclusive multidisciplinary solution to this challenge that epitomizes the forward-thinking nature of this competition.
