Control of closed-loop differential drive mobile robot using forward and reverse Kinematics

Abstract

A “Go-to-Goal” differential-drive mobile robot, in an obstacle-free environment, has been designed and developed in this experiment. The robot is capable of moving in any direction in a 2D Cartesian plane by individually controlling the speed of both driving wheels. The robot can estimate its current position at any point in time. Forward kinematics is applied to estimate the current state of the robot, and reverse kinematics is used in achieving the goal position in the 2D Cartesian plane. A proportional controller is used to control the speed of the wheels for better maneuverability. Effectiveness of the model is tested in both real and ideal conditions. With increasing applications of mobile robots in various fields, this experiment is conducted to test and verify the applied kinematics model. Implementation is by means of a 64-bit microprocessor for processing and an 8-bit dedicated microcontroller for motor control.