Robotic Chemical Detector Project

Robot Applications

Robots can be used for a number of hazardous jobs. They can be used to search for explosives or to sniff out hazardous chemicals and gasses.

OWI-9762 WAO Kranius Robot	OWI-007 Robotic Arm Kit	SCG-125 Snap Circuits Green Alternative Energy	LG8547 LEGO Mindstorms NXT 2.0 Robotic Invention System
Ages 10 and up	Ages 10 and up	Ages 8 and up	Age 10 thru College

Objectives/Goals

A robotic chemical detector, moving and responding to dangerous chemicals without human presence or control, could help save lives. My objective was to create an autonomous mobile chemical detecting robot. Building upon the basic sensor prototype I made last year, I had to increase sensitivity, make vapor movement autonomous, speed up response and integrate the sensor onto a mobile chassis. I hypothesized that I could improve the sensitivity by a factor of 10 using more complicated circuitry, address movement and speed with a fan, and produce a mobile robot to autonomously detect chemical in real time.

Methods/Materials

I added an op-amp, resistors and voltage regulators into the sensor circuit to increase sensitivity, limit drift, and improve signal stability. I also added a fan and ran hundreds of tests of baseline and chemical readings. Then I attached the sensor and fan to a mobile chassis and wrote control programs for it to move and detect autonomously. After the programming, I ran tests where the robot moved over some ethanol placed on the ground.

Results

Tests on the amplified circuit showed limited noise and range in the baseline, and a signal change more than 20 times the baseline when chemical was introduced, far more than was hypothesized. Even concentrations only of 5% ethanol changed the signal markedly. The fan caused almost immediate detection and was placed with the sensor on the mobile chassis. After creating the program, I had the autonomous mobile robot move over a spill of chemical. It consistently and accurately detected and responded to the presence of chemical in real time!

Conclusions/Discussion

My product is a mobile robot that can sense chemical spills on the ground below it autonomously and in real time. The program can be adapted to implement a variety of algorithms for searching and response, as needed for applications in industry, security and counter-terrorism. 3rd party contributor

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