Robotic Tool Handler

Senior Design Project - ARM Cortex-based robotic system with real-time control

Project Overview

Lead developer for a robotic tool handling system as part of senior design capstone project at University of Rochester.

Duration: January 2024 – June 2024
Role: Lead Developer
Team Size: 3 ECE members and 4 ME members Supervisor: Professor Thomas M. Howard Institution: University of Rochester

Technical Implementation

  • Platform: NVIDIA Jetson Nano (ARM Cortex-based)
  • Operating System: Ubuntu Linux with ROS
  • Languages: C, C++, Python
  • Development: GitLab CI/CD pipeline

Key Achievements

Embedded Systems Development

  • Designed and integrated embedded firmware in C & Python on the ARM Cortex-based NVIDIA Jetson Nano platform
  • Leveraged Ubuntu Linux and ROS for real-time motion control and sensor data acquisition
  • Implemented strict timing requirements for robotic arm movements

Computer Vision Integration

  • Developed YOLO-based object detection pipeline
  • Achieved 20% increased throughput compared to baseline implementation
  • Integrated computer vision with motion planning algorithms

Testing & Validation

  • Developed comprehensive test-driven modules
  • Implemented SIL/HIL testing frameworks to ensure robot arm movements under strict latency requirements
  • Created automated testing pipeline integrated with GitLab CI/CD

Hardware Debugging

  • Debugged communication signals using oscilloscopes and logic analyzers
  • Tuned system clocks and interrupt handlers to resolve timing issues
  • Optimized real-time performance through hardware-software co-design