Project Synopsis

on
IOT BASED MULTIFACATED ROVER
ROBOT
Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of B.Tech. in
Electronics and Communication Engineering
by:
ABHIROOP TOMAR (1900270310004)
AMAN (1900270310023)
AKAASHDEEP (1900270310021)
ABHISHEK (1900270310006)

Under the supervision of

Guide:
Dr. Jitender Chhabra
Asso. Prof., ECE Department, AKGEC

Ajay Kumar Garg Engineering College, Ghaziabad

th
27 Km Stone, Delhi - Hapur Bypass Road, Adhyatmik Nagar, Ghaziabad-201009
Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam Technical University, Lucknow
November, 2022
 DECLARATION

We hereby declare that this submission is our own work and that, to the best of our
knowledge and belief, it contains no material previously published or written by
another person, nor material which to a substantial extent has been accepted for the
award of any other degree or diploma by the university or other institute of higher
learning, except where due acknowledgement has been made in the text.

Signature: Signature:

Abhiroop Tomar Aman

1900270310004 1900270310023

Signature: Signature:

Akashdeep Abhishek

1900270310021 1900270310006

ii
 CERTIFICATE

This is to certify that Project Report entitled “Iot Based Multifacated Rover Robot”
which is submitted by Abhiroop Tomar, Aman, Akaashdeep, Abhishek in the partial
fulfillment of requirement for the award of degree of Bachelor of Technology
(Electronics and Communication Engineering) submitted to Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam
Technical University, Lucknow is a record of students’ own work carried out under
my supervision. The matter in this report has not been submitted to any University or
Institution for award of any degree.

Supervisor:

Dr. Jitender Chhabra

Asso. Prof., ECE Department, AKGEC

Dr. P.K. Chopra

Prof. ECE Dept., AKGEC

Date:

iii
 ABSTRACT

Efficient and cost-effective waste management is a requisite for major institutions all
around the globe. Outdoor cleaning is labor intensive and thus adds up to the overall
employment cost of the institution, which is a cause of great distress. Through our waste
accumulating robot, we look to address and automate the outdoor waste cleaning
process, thus providing an efficient and tangible way of managing such a tedious task.
We have a rover, fitted with a camera, thus guiding it around the designated area and
avoiding obstacles, while the same camera is integrated with an arm via software for
waste collection purpose. The rover is fitted with the arm, which is used to collect the
garbage within its range. We use a bucket clamp as its end effector. A GPS (Global
Positioning System) module shall guide the rover within the fore set cleaning range. To
increase efficiency of collection and assimilation, the front part of the rover has a broom
to accumulate the dirt as it moves. After a set distance the robotic arm shall pick the
trash collected and place it in an overhead bin mounted on the rover. The whole process
can be monitored remotely.

iv
 TABLE OF CONTENTS
Declaration …………………………………………………………………………………. ii

Certificate……………………………………………………………………………………. iii

Abstract................................................................................................................................. iv

Chapter 1. Introduction...............................................................................................7
1.1 Introduction........................................................................................................... 7
Chapter 2. Literature Survey......................................................................................8
Chapter 3. Problem Statement....................................................................................9
3.1 Problem about the garbage……………………………………………………... 9
3.2 Inefficiency of existing models …………………………………………………..10
Chapter 4. Proposed Methodology............................................................................11
4.1 Project Idea......................................................................................................... 11
4.2 Vehicle motion and GPS.....................................................................................11
4.3 Arm mechanism and end effector....................................................................... 11
4.4 Basket overflow detection……………………………………………………………...12
4.5 Segregation of waste………………………………………………………………….12-15
Chapter 5. Hardware and Software Required.........................................................16
5.1 Hardware Required............................................................................................. 16
5.1.1 Arduino..................................................................................................................16
5.1.2 IR Sensors..............................................................................................................16
5.1.3 Frame ……………………………………………………………………………...16
5.1.4 Wheels……………………………………………………………………………..16
5.1.5 Motors………………………………………………………...…………………...16
5.1.6 Ultrasonic sensor…………………………………………………………………..16
5.1.7 Waste bin…………………………………………………………………………..16
5.1.8 Robotic arm………………………………………………………………………..16
5.1.9 Roller………………………………………………………………………………16
5.1.10 GPS Module……………………………………………………………………...16

5.2 Software Required...............................................................................................17

5.2.1 Arduino ide............................................................................................................17
5.2.2 VS code (Platform io)............................................................................................17
5.2.3 Pycharm with python version 2022.2.1..................................................................17

5
Chapter 6. Technology Used......................................................................................18
6.1.1 Object detection.....................................................................................................18
6.1.2 Robotic arm............................................................................................................18
6.1.3 GPS mapping.........................................................................................................19
6.1.4 Segregation............................................................................................................19
Chapter 7. Application and Advantages...................................................................20
Chapter 8. Work done................................................................................................21
8.1 Object detection…………………………………………………………………..21
8.2 Segregation………………………………………………………………………..22
Conclusion...................................................................................................................23
References……………………………………………………………………………24

6
 List of Figures

Fig. 3.1 Garbage collection chart................................................................................... 10

Fig. 3.2 Garbage collection process............................................................................... 11

Fig. 4.1 Types of bin......................................................................................................13

Fig. 4.2 Color codes for bins........................................................................................ 15

Fig. 4.3 Placement of bins............................................................................................ 15

Fig. 8.1 Object Detection..............................................................................................22

Fig. 8.2.1 Segregation of dry waste.............................................................................. 23

Fig. 8.2.2 Segregation of wet waste..............................................................................23

7
 CHAPTER 1.

INTRODUCTION

A clean environment is always a sight to behold. Manual labor has been the answer to
our cleanliness and waste collection woes so far. In a world where menial jobs can be
automated using technology, our project uses the integration of a rover, with an arm
and camera, remotely controlled and monitored by a user. Here we focus on the
automated movement of the rover using image processing and detection to identify,
accumulate, pick and drop garbage within a designated area. The obvious outcome is
technology brilliance, for a hassle-free collection and dumping of garbage. The rover
has a set path, where the GPS guides the rover around the designated area.

By utilizing the latest technology of Artificial Intelligence, our rover can determine
which item is in front of it and whether it should attempt to pick it up with the robotic
arm or with the roller mechanism, it does all of this with the help of object detection
using OpenCV library and TensorFlow Lite tools. The smaller debris are collected by
the roller mechanism mounted at the front of the rover and dropped onto the
segregation plate, where wet and dry garbage are disposed of into their respective bins
mounted onto the rover. The larger debris like bottles shall be identified using object
detection and the arm shall lift it and place it onto the segregation plate, from where it
shall be dumped into its respective bin based on its moisture content.

Objective

The purpose of building the Automated Garbage Collection Rover is to achieve the
following:
1. Efficient collection and segregation of waste
2. Reducing human effort
3. Time Saver

8
 Chapter 2.
LITERATURE SURVEY

Before starting with the project, we need to know what have been done in the area of
interest. We went through multiple papers in order to get a clear picture of what the
field currently has to offer and how we can improve on it. In one of the papers, the
rover has arm-like mechanism wherein the garbage collected is scooped up in the arm
and tossed in the bin behind the arm. This rover is manually controlled by the user via a
Bluetooth connected device for its movement and object detection for identifying
obstacles and garbage. The scoop and toss mechanism of the rover is inefficient as it
sometimes pushes the garbage away rather than scooping it in.
The approach to the garbage collection idea is similar across all the papers. But there
always is at least one drawback to the approaches we have seen. It has used rotating
blade mechanism to collect the waste. Galvanized iron or stainless steel was used to
make this rotating blade which may not be suitable for every purpose. We attempt to
combat this by applying hard brush on the ends of the rotor blades in our approach. In
order for us to make automated rover, we had to come up with a way for the rover to
move without any assistance from the user.
We came across various ways of achieving this. Automating a drive can be cumbersome
as many variables are to taken into account. Static and dynamic obstacles must be
avoided. It has used RADAR and cameras to achieve self-driving and has resorted to
path following using just camera. We wanted the automation to be simple and
inexpensive yet provide good movement accuracy. A GPS guided system is used to
attain our autonomy goal.

9
 Chapter 3.
PROBLEM STATEMENT

Garbage around us is sickening and unpleasant. As we are using more and more one-
time use products, and due to reckless behavior of the people, garbage can be found
thrown everywhere, right from the footpaths, roads, play grounds, etc. The tedious
work involved in hiring, and money involved in maintaining a cleanliness team for
outdoor cleansing and waste collection within an institution or society is exorbitant.
Moreover, irregularities and absence of cleanliness staff results in the job remaining
pending and the place is in shambles. Thus, sole dependence on manual labor can be
futile.

Heaps of garbage, mainly plastic waste, are been dumped on the road in many
residential areas and are not removed for many weeks. In the absence of bins, residents
dump the waste on roads as dogs and cattle squatter upon the waste and also consume
it.

If garbage is thrown on the street is unattended:

Uncollected solid waste can also obstruct storm water runoff, resulting in the forming of
stagnant water bodies that become the breeding ground of disease. Waste dumped near a
water source also causes contamination of the water body or the ground water source.

10
 Fig 3.1(Garbage collection chart)

Fig 3.2(Garbage collection process)

Inefficiency of existing models

[1] Not entirely autonomous.

 In the previous robots the the moving mechanism was not entirely autonomous
they were mostly line follower or remote controlled.
[2] Segregation mechanism is crude.
 The robot was not able to make a clear decision on the basis of dry and wet
waste, this made the whole process meaningless.
[3] GPS usage is a bare minimum, although blatantly efficient.
[4] No dual collecting mechanism, as a result compromises on optimal efficiency.
 In our proposed rover robot the waste is collected not only by the robotic arm but
also through conveyor belt.
[5] Lack of efficient image processing to detect garbage

11
 Chapter 4.
METHODOLOGY

In our proposed rover, we profess the use of image detection to identify and efficiently
segregate garbage within campuses. We use OpenCV for object detection and feature
extraction. Our vehicle is GPS guided and the path has to set manually; following
which no human intervention is needed. Once the rover sets into motion, it shall
discretely identify obstacles and garbage. We use a dual collection mechanism,
comprising a roller mechanism for smaller debris like leaves, twigs and paper waste;
and an arm mechanism for collecting bottles, and comparatively larger debris. A
segregation mechanism is used to segregate wet and dry waste using a moisture sensor.
Accordingly, the waste is dumped into their respective bins, comprising a wet waste bin
and dry waste bin.
Digital image processing is performed, under this we have 3 steps:
1. Image acquisition: The image of the garbage is acquired using the camera, the
image is acquired from a certain uniform distance with sufficient lighting for
learning and classification. The sample images of the garbage are collected and
are used in training the system. To train and to test the system, our concerned
garbage images are taken. The images will be stored in some standard format.
2. Image Processing: Pre-processing is heavily dependent on feature extraction
method and input image type. The aim of Pre-processing is an improvement of
the image data that remove the unwanted distortions.
3. Image Segmentation: Partitioning of digital image into multiple segments for
easy analysis. Image segmentation is one of the most important stage for
accurate detection.
4. Feature Extraction: Reducing the amount of resource required to describe large
dataset. Here we extract shape feature. Using the dataset, the image classifies it
as an obstacle or garbage; and under garbage it is classified into the one which
can be picked by the roller or the one which the arm got to take care of.

4.1 Vehicle motion and GPS

Our vehicle is GPS guided. The human operator has to set the coordinates which the
vehicle has to follow. Then the rover traverses the designated path. The rover is driven
by four DC motors, and we use differential steering to maneuver the rover around.

4.2 Arm Mechanism and end effector

We use a linear mechanism arm to pick the bigger waste. Here we use a screw
mechanism to move the links. It’s a two-link arm mounted at the front end of the rover.
The end effector used is a vacuum pump to hold the bigger debris until dumped.

12
4.3 Basket overflow detection
 In this module, we will be using a set of infrared sensors.

 These sensors will detect the objects level filled in the basket.

 After 50% of the capacity of the basket is filled, a message will be send to the
server.

 After 100% capacity of the basket is reached, it will give a warning message and
will lock the robotic arm.

 If the rover is not on a designated route given by the user, a message will be sent
to the server.

4.4 Segregation of waste

Waste segregation at source can reduce up to 250 tonnes of dump from entering into
landfills.

Fig 4.1(Types of bin)

Waste segregation can be defined as the process of identifying, classifying, dividing and
sorting of garbage and waste products in an effort to reduce, reuse and recycle materials.

In order to segregate waste appropriately, it is important to correctly identify the type

waste that is generated. For the purposes of waste segregation at source, waste is
identified and classified into the following categories depending on their biological,
physical and chemical properties:

13
  Dry Waste – Refers to all items that are not considered wet/soiled items. This
includes both recyclable and non-recyclable materials. Dry waste includes
items such as bottles, cans, clothing, plastic, wood, glass, metals and paper.

 Wet Waste – Refers to all items that are organic like food items, soiled food
wrappers, hygiene products, yard waste, tissues and paper towels, as well as
any other soiled item that would contaminate the recyclables.

 Sanitary Waste – Refers to all liquid or solid waste originating solely from
humans and human activities. (Can also include items from medical waste)

 Hazardous Household Waste – Refers to all household products that contain

corrosive, toxic, ignitable, or reactive ingredients, other than used oil.

 E-Waste – Refers to all kinds of electronic waste.

 Hazardous Waste – Refers to all items, products and by-products that contain
corrosive, toxic, ignitable or reactive ingredients.

 Inert Waste – Refers to waste items that are neither chemically or

biologically reactive nor decompose easily.
Significance of Waste Segregation
Waste segregation is critical because of the fact that certain types of wastes can be
hazardous and can contaminate the environment if not managed correctly. (Some of
these types of waste may also have the potential to cause disease or get into water
supplies or contaminate the land with different types of leachates.)

When waste is unsegregated, it may get contaminated with different types of waste
being stored together. Such waste cannot be treated or managed and most of the time
end up being dumped into local dump yards or landfills. With waste segregation,
management of different types of wastes becomes possible. This directly results in
reduced amounts of waste being dumped at dump yards or landfills.

Waste Segregation is always step one for all types of waste management solutions that
may be implemented either on individual level or community level.

14
Color Codes for Bins
For ease of waste segregation, the disposal bins are color code

Fig 4.2(Color codes for bins)

Placement of Bins for Waste Segregation at Source

The best way to segregate waste is to segregate it at source. To enable this, it is always
recommended to place the right type of bin in the respective area.

15
 Fig 4.2 (Placement of bins)

 We have designed an automated rover, with a garbage collecting arm attached to

it. The rover moves about its designated path, directed by GPS and object
detection. The camera module detects garbage and the rover mechanism and arm
collects it and places it in the garbage bin atop the body of the rover. The rover is
automated and moves about its path using GPS guidance. The entire rover can be
monitored/controlled remotely.

 A moisture sensor shall be attached to the top of the bin to segregate the dry and
wet waste. The efficiency of the process in increased by the use of dual collecting
mechanism. We have designed an automated rover, with a garbage collecting arm
attached to it. The rover moves about its designated path, directed by GPS and
object detection. The camera module detects garbage and the rover mechanism
and arm collects it and places it in the garbage bin atop the body of the rover.

 The rover is automated and moves about its path using GPS guidance. The entire
rover can be monitored/controlled remotely. A moisture sensor shall be attached
to the top of the bin to segregate the dry and wet waste. The efficiency of the
process in increased by the use of dual collecting mechanism.

16
 Chapter 5.1
Hardware Components

1. Frame
2. Wheels
3. Motors
4. Conveyor Belt
5. Waste Bin
6. Ultrasonic Sensor
7. Moisture Sensor
8. GPS Module
9. Roller
10. Power Supply (Batteries)
11. Vacuum End Effector
12. Arm
13. Raspberry Pi 3
14. Arduino Uno
15. TensorFlow lite

17
 Chapter 5.2

Software Components

1. ARDUINO IDE (1.8.19).

2. VS CODE (Platform IO).

3. PyCharm IDE with Python Version: 2022.2.1

18
 Chapter 6.

TECHNOLOGY USED

 Object detection
 Robotic Arm
 GPS mapping
 Segregation

6.1 Object Detection

When fed an image, the system will identify the objects in the image. Then system can
create a bounding box around the objects, so that it can pinpoint where in the image the
objects are, and then accordingly make a decision. Our objective behind is to identify
what all objects are present in the image and where they’re located and filter out the
object of attention.
1. A deep learning-based object detection method called Single Shot Detector
(SSD) and MobileNet neural Network is used since combining these is more
efficient for resource constrained devices.
2. MobileNet uses a depth wise convolution followed by batch normalization (BN)
and ReLU nonlinearity. MobileNet SSD and deep neural network module of
OpenCV is used to build object detector.
 Image from the camera is the input and a blob (part of the image having similar
characteristics) is created. The blob is small portion of our image o f about
300x300 pixels. The result is stored in a detection variable.
 The detection is looped through the network to determine what and where the
object is.
 A text label containing the CLASS name is built and using the label, the output
image is boxed with around the object in the image.

6.2 Robotic Arm

We use the linear actuator mechanism in designing the robotic arm. Here the servo
motors are mounted on the mounts and the motion of the arm is based on the screw
rotation; which when rotates, moves the entire arm along.
 The end effector is a vacuum, which shall aid in lifting the bigger waste. The
arm is 3D printed, and the servos are programmed using Python
 Distance between rover and object is calculated and arm movement is
programmed calculated distance.

6.3 GPS Mapping

 Here, we use a GPS module to pin down our location. Then the coordinates of
the desired points are set with the help of Google map layout of the area to be

19
 traversed.
 A compass module is used to align the vehicle in accordance with its path. The
set path is then fed to the Arduino microcontroller which in turn controls the
steering functions.

6.4 Segregation
 We use a moisture sensor to segregate waste as wet and dry based on its moisture
content.
 When the sensor detects the waste as wet waste, the segregation flap tilts inward
the wet bin.
 When the sensor detects the waste as dry waste, the segregation flap tilts inward
the dry bin.
 An ultrasonic sensor is used for the detection of waste.
 So, in totality, the amalgamation of the ultrasonic sensor, moisture sensor and the
stepper motor used to control the flap, are concomitant in a smooth process.

20
 Chapter 7.
APPLICATION & ADVANTAGES

7.1 Application

 Used in outdoor cleaning of campuses: The rover is trained to move around campuses
such as tech parks, educational
institutions, etc. It performs its cleaning duties along the set path and then shall return to
its initial position either after
ending its ritual or for emptying the dustbin.

7.2 Advantages

 Saves time: The rover performs its tasks diligently and efficiently and can perform it
any number of times as long as it is
powered.
 Saves Labor cost: The investment in the rover is a one-time investment, with
negligible service cost. Thus, saving the
organization from recurring labor cost.
 Can perform its task anytime: No fixed work hours; can be deployed anytime as and
when needed.

21
 Chapter 8.
WORK DONE

8.1 Object Detection

Fig 8.1: Object Detection

Here, the camera detects what type of an object is detected and if it is categorized as
waste, the software instructs whether the
arm should pick the bottle or the roller mechanism. As can be seen from the above
image, the camera has detected the bottle
image accurately. Similarly, it applies to other objects as well.

22
8.2 Segregation

Fig 8.2.1(segregation of dry waste) Fig 8.2.2(segregation of wet waste)

The segregation mechanism detects the moisture content in the substance and segregates
it accordingly.
Here in the above images we can see that the tray dumps garbage into the wet or dry bin
according to the feedback from the moisture sensor. This mechanism makes it easier for
dumping as the garbage has already been segregated.

23
 CONCLUSION

 Through this machine, we shall achieve the objective of automated efficient

cleaning, using image detection and segregation.

 There is minimal human intervention, thus utilizing technology to the fullest.

 The model has minimum human interference and thus we achieve our end goal of
having an automated rover.
 The practicality of this rover is what makes it ideal. The utilization of technology
like object detection, navigation and segregation thus makes it a unique
proposition.

 This idea was conceived after lots of deliberation and discussion from all our
team members and our guide, with practicality being the fulcrum of our
discussion. We solely believe that with the integration of technology, human life
can improve manifold and our proposition is just one of the innumerous ways of
technological boon.

24
 REFERENCES

[1] Rahul Navghare, Mrunali Dhanorkar, Vaishali Behaniya Department of EXTC,

Government College of Engineering, Nagpur1 Department of EXTC, NIT Polytechnic,
Nagpur2 Department of Electrical Engineering, NIT, Nagpur3 An Analytical Approach
for Junk Collecting Wireless Robot, International Journal of Advanced Research in
Computer and Communication Engineering, Vol. 8, Issue 6, June 2019
[2] Osiany Nurlansa, Dewi Anisa Istiqomah, and Mahendra Astu Sanggha Pawitra
AGATOR (Automatic Garbage Collector) as Automatic Garbage International Journal
of Future Computer and Communication, Vol. 3, No. 5, October 2014
[3] Apoorva S., Chaithanya, Rukuma S. Prabhu, Saiswaroop B. Shetty, Denita D’Souza
Department of Electrical & Electronics Engineering, St Joseph Engineering College,
Mangaluru, India Autonomous Garbage Collector Robot International Journal of
Internet of Things, 2017
[4] Hyunggi Cho, Young-Woo Seo, B.V.K. Vijaya Kumar and Ragunathan Rajkumar A
Multi-Sensor Fusion System for Moving Object Detection and Tracking in Urban
Driving Environments 2014 IEEE International Conference on Robotics & Automation
(ICRA), Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Center, May 31 – June 7, 2014. Hong
Kong, China
[5] Md. Abdullah-Al-Kaiser, Dip Joti Paul, Asir Intisar Khan, Celia Shahnaz, Shaikh
Anowarul Fattah Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Bangladesh
University of Engineering and Technology, Dhaka A Cost Effective GPS Guided
Autonomous Object Transporter Robot for Disaster Management and Industrial
Automation
IEEE Region 10 Conference (TENCON), Malaysia, November 5-8, 2017

25