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Integrated hardware

The Pioneer LX features the following hardware:

• Intel D525 64-bit dual core CPU @1.8 GHz
• Intel GMA 3150 integrated graphics processing unit
• Intel 6235ANHMW wireless network adapter
• Ports for ethernet, RS-232, USB, VGA, and various other analog and digital I/O
• SICK 300 and SICK TiM 510 laser scanner, for navigation and object detection.
• Sonar sensors and a bumper panel.
• Joystick for manual control.
• A 60 A h battery, expected to power the robot continuously for up to 13 hours.
• Automated charging station, allowing the robot to dock autonomously.

SICK S-300 laser range sensor

SICK S-300 is the laser rangefinder module on the Pioneer LX. It has 240 field of view, 30 meter maximum range and angular resolution. This may appear as a low resolution for things further away, but when you move the robot to map the surroundings it works well. When creating a map of an area the Mapper3 software will smooth out the area and create a high resolution map for you. One major issue with the SICK S-300 is that it cannot see obstacles above the robot base. Therefor we need to be careful with tables and other similar obstacles.

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Kill Switch

The kill switch is a big red button that has to be raised before the motors will receive any power. If the robot ever acts unexpectedly, or is a danger for people or itself, we can hit this big red button to stop it. If needed, hardware can be connected to a special power connection on the battery which will stop delivering power when the switch is down.