Auto-Labyrinth

Open Access
- Author:
- Baranoski, Matt
- Area of Honors:
- Electrical Engineering
- Degree:
- Bachelor of Science
- Document Type:
- Thesis
- Thesis Supervisors:
- Dr. Timothy Joseph Kane, Thesis Supervisor
Dr. Julio V. Urbina, Thesis Honors Advisor - Keywords:
- Control System Theory
Electrical Engineering
PID Controller
Computer Vision
Feedback control System
LabVIEW - Abstract:
- As more and more industries turn to automation to help reduce costs and increase efficiency the demand for more robust control systems has increased. Historically these control systems only governed processes that could be represented mathematically but now the systems are my dynamic and do not always have a known underlying process. The Auto-labyrinth is a small-scale test bed for various control algorithms. It combines a system with an unknown underlying process with visual feedback to pose a unique challenge for any control algorithm. The project is based upon the Brio Labyrinth maze game and uses servo motors and a webcam to allow a computer to control the system. As a proof of concept the test bed is programmed with a PID controller to demonstrate the power of the PID controller as well as how the project can be used to test other algorithms. Although the project has some limitations, mainly an image acquisition delay from a USB 2.0 camera, it proves to be a unique test bed for control algorithms.