Final Project Showcase

Final Project Showcases

The final project is an open-ended module for students to explore algorithms or applications of their interest. The final project is 3-4 weeks in duration, and student teams are asked to develop a demonstration of their work, a project portfolio, and ethics statement.

During the 2024 version of this class, the following projects were completed:

  • Chess-Bot – a Widow X arm is programmed to play chess against a human player in real-time. Topic keywords: manipulators, kinematics, game play, search algorithms, visual change detection, human-robot interface

  • Fleet Robotics – multiple Neatos are launched simultaneously with unique navigational goals in an environment, and must coordinate (in a decentralized manner) to successfully execute their missions. Topic keywords: decentralized planning, state estimation, ROS2 launch and parameters, visual odometry, priority queuing, shortest-path

  • Neato Temple Runner – a Neato must navigate around an unknown space as quickly as possible, generating random waypoints and avoiding obstacles. Topic keywords: RRT, occupancy grids, monocular depth estimation, receding horizon path planning, nonmyopic planning, ROS visualization

During the 2025 version of this class, the following projects were completed:

  • Gesture Neato – a Neato with a camera masts that reacts and responds to hand signs from a user. Topic keywords: finite-state-control, visual input

  • Neato Tag – two Neatos play a round of tag using camera and bump-sensor inputs. Topic keywords: multi-vehicle coordination, visual servoing, autonomous path planning

  • Gaussian Guy – a WidowX arm holds a stereo camera and plans autonomous “scanning” passes over an object, which it then converts into a 3D reconstruction using Gaussian splatting. Topic keywords: visual scanning, autonomous path planning, visual reconstructions, Gaussian splatting

  • Neato Fleet – centralized control and choreography for a group of Neatos. Topic keywords: centralized planning, multi-vehicle coordination, collision-free path planning

  • Free the Neatos – programming a Neato to autonomously survey a room (much like it would do if they were still equipped to be vacuums). Topic keywords: simultaneous localization and mapping, boutrophedonic exploration, path planning, task management

  • TetrisBot – a robot arm interacts with a Nintendo Switch to play Tetris on a screen autonomously. Topic keywords: game play, reactive planning, manipulation, real-time processing, visual perception

  • Resistor Pick and Place – a Widow X arm is used to sort breadboard-style resistors. Topic keywords: visual perception, path planning, object detection, finite-state-control