A MODTRONIX-Based Multi-Terrain and Surveillance Robot Salman Habib 1 M. Amer Saeed 2 Department of Electrical Engineering, Department of Electrical Engineering, University Of Engineering & Technology, University Of Central Punjab, Lahore, Pakistan Lahore, Pakistan 1 salmanhabib560@gmail.com 2 amer.saeed@ucp.edu.pk Abstract—As autonomous vehicle technology is becoming the most promising and expanding field in control system engineering so it should be a preliminary consideration to develop an unmanned ground vehicle (UGV) that can perform reconnaissance and surveillance operations where risking human life is unwise. The goal of this project is to build up a vehicle that could reach to a required destination by a wireless control. Multi-Terrain and surveillance robot (MTASR) is a powerful, robust, well-designed and relatively inexpensive UGV. It is equipped with MODTRONIX board along with a Wi-Fi module. The control of the vehicle was achieved using MODTRONIX board, which control all the activities of the robot including communication and manoeuvring. Using the wireless device allowed us to work with IP, which made our task simple, we would be able to connect to the robot using any computer that had Wi-Fi capability and the security clearance. IP camera is used for surveillance and a Wi-Fi router for communication. The robot is operated in manual mode where the operator can use the graphical user interface (GUI) specifically designed for the robot to manoeuvre and control it. GUI was developed using C# (c sharp) language. Index Terms— MTASR, MODTRONIX, Wi-Fi Module, UGV, IP Camera, GUI, C Sharp Language. I. INTRODUCTION In recent years there has been an increasing attention on robotic technology due to lot of industrial automation applications and it is currently an exciting and highly researched focus. At the present when machines are taking over the routine jobs of humans such as packaging, manufacturing and computing, it is essential that we find applications for machines in places where human life is threatened. We must look at the broader picture and understand the vast uses to which these machines can be put in order to save human lives from getting endangered. With this idea in mind, we set out to develop a UGV that can perform duties of a human. The major objectives were to have a strong yet practical and portable body, single communication link to handle all the data going to and from the robot, obstacle avoidance and video feedback to help manoeuvre in manual mode [1]. The system for the MTASR has been such that the user has the freedom to use only one operating end and perform all the tasks directly. This has been made possible by bringing all the communications onto one platform and then programming the microcontroller and the GUI to use that link for operation. We choose Wi-Fi device and an Ethernet to RS232 converter which helped bring every level of communication onto the Wi-Fi plane. This reduces the amount of hardware required on the operator end enabling easy setup and portability. The approach for implementing the system, Is to design specialized circuits to perform different functions. The whole work follow the sequences of traditional approach basically entire system is classified in three major parts like Hardware design, Software design and Mechanical design [2]. The following fig.1 shows the block diagram of MTASR. Fig. 1 Main Block Diagram The mechanical assembly was designed using Auto- CAD and then was converted to 3-D model using Solid- Edge. The body spans 31.25cm wide (including arms) and 66.25cm long (including arms). The height is 18.55cm. The body is primarily rectangular with four arms projecting forward (two arms) and backward (two arms) on each side which can be used to overcome small obstacles while operating manually. 12th International Conference on Frontiers of Information Technology 978-1-4799-7505-1/14 $31.00 © 2014 IEEE DOI 10.1109/FIT.2014.22 67 12th International Conference on Frontiers of Information Technology 978-1-4799-7505-1/14 $31.00 © 2014 IEEE DOI 10.1109/FIT.2014.22 67