Line Follow and Obstacle Stop
Advanced AutonomyIntermediate Robotics plus perception pipelines, control loops, coordinate frames, and real-time behavior.
Before you start
- Complete Camera Module and Robot Module
- Understand image segmentation, control loops, and physical units
- Have an instructor present for every motion run
Build a supervised project that estimates the position of a taped floor line and stops when the depth camera reports an obstacle in the forward safety region.
Project Outcome
The robot follows a short taped course at low speed and stops before a person or object enters the configured safety region.
Camera Input
- Lower image region containing the taped line
- Forward depth region used only as a stop gate
- Image center and line-centroid error
Build Stages
- Detect the line in saved or live images while the robot stays disabled.
- Print line error without sending motor commands.
- Define and test the forward depth stop region.
- Combine line error and stop state in a mocked control loop.
- Review limits, cleanup, and fail-closed behavior with an instructor.
- Run the smallest supervised motion test on a clear course.
First Prototype
Display the line mask, line-centroid error, and CLEAR or STOP depth state without enabling the motors.
What To Measure
- Line-centroid error through turns
- False line detections
- Stop distance and invalid-depth behavior
- Command rate and maximum velocity
Extensions
- Add proportional steering.
- Detect when the line is lost and stop immediately.
- Compare tape colors and lighting conditions.
- Log line error, depth minimum, and commanded velocity.
Safety Boundary
Obstacle detection supplements the physical E-stop; it does not replace it. Motion requires instructor approval, configured speed limits, guaranteed stop and disable cleanup, and a clear test area.