Robotics

RoboCup Rescue Robot Platform and UAV Systems

Developed embedded control systems, autonomous navigation, SLAM, and UAV subsystems for the YRA RoboCup Rescue Team, achieving two international Best-in-Class first-place awards at RoboCup 2014 in Brazil.

Summary

Engineering context

Category: Robotics
Year: 2012 - 2016
Status: Completed
Context: Islamic Azad University BSc (2012 - 2016) / YRA RoboCup Rescue Team - RoboCup 2014, Joao Pessoa, Brazil

My Role

Embedded Systems and Robotics Engineer

Technical Stack

System Architecture

Custom AVR-based embedded controller handled low-level robot interfacing
ROS1 was used for high-level autonomy and navigation
Hector SLAM provided real-time mapping and localization
Fuzzy logic algorithms were used for autonomous navigation behaviors
Teleoperation capabilities were integrated for rescue scenarios
UAV subsystem used a custom embedded flight-control architecture

Engineering Challenges

Integrating embedded systems with ROS autonomy
Achieving reliable SLAM performance on limited compute hardware
Designing stable fuzzy-logic navigation behavior
Coordinating autonomous and teleoperated operation modes
Developing reliable embedded hardware for competition environments

Hardware / Firmware / Software

Hardware

Custom AVR controller PCB
Tracked rescue robot platform
Embedded sensor interfaces
UAV embedded controller hardware
Teleoperation control systems

Firmware

AVR embedded firmware
Low-level motor and sensor control
Communication interface firmware
Real-time embedded control logic

Software

ROS1
Hector SLAM
Autonomous navigation stack
Fuzzy logic navigation algorithms
Robot teleoperation software

Sensors

LiDAR sensors
Robot navigation sensors
UAV stabilization sensors

Protocols

UART
Embedded serial communication
ROS communication framework

Results / Outcomes

Achieved 1st Place Best-in-Class Manipulation at RoboCup 2014
Achieved 1st Place Best-in-Class Small UAV at RoboCup 2014
Successfully deployed autonomous rescue robot platform
Demonstrated SLAM-based navigation and teleoperation
Successfully integrated embedded hardware and ROS autonomy systems

Gallery

RoboCup Best-in-Class Manipulation award

Engineering Notes

Embedded Controller Development

A custom AVR microcontroller board was developed to interface with motors, sensors, communication modules, and robot subsystems.

The board included:

AVR microcontroller architecture
Embedded communication interfaces
Motor-control circuitry
Sensor integration interfaces
Power regulation subsystems
LCD monitoring interface

Firmware was written in Embedded C for deterministic low-level control and subsystem coordination.

Autonomous Navigation and SLAM

The robot autonomy stack was developed using ROS1.

Hector SLAM was used for real-time localization and mapping, while fuzzy logic algorithms were implemented for autonomous navigation behavior and obstacle handling.

The robot supported both:

autonomous operation
teleoperated rescue control

This hybrid architecture allowed flexible operation depending on mission conditions.

UAV System Contribution

I also contributed to the UAV embedded flight-control subsystem used in the RoboCup Rescue Small UAV category.

The UAV platform required stable embedded control, sensor integration, and autonomous flight behavior suitable for rescue robotics tasks.

Competition Results

The YRA team achieved:

1st Place — Best-in-Class Manipulation
1st Place — Best-in-Class Small UAV

at RoboCup 2014 in Brazil.

These awards recognized the system’s performance in rescue robotics autonomy, manipulation capability, and UAV operation.