Mission 3 Report

Basic GPS Navigation

The rover must successfully complete two consecutive runs to meet the requirements.

From an arbitrary starting location and heading, the rover must navigate to align itself pointing due North.
The final heading must be within ±20° of true North.
The mission must be completed within 180 seconds.

Arduino Mega 2560 - ATmega2560 @ 16 MHz, 5V logic for central control
Adafruit Motor Shield V1 - L293D H-bridge driver, up to 4 DC motors
33GB-520 DC Gear Motor (12V DC rated, 170-350 RPM no-load speed, 100mA no-load current, 5mm shaft diameter, 100g weight)
Plastic bearing wheels - M4 mount screws, 50x35mm footprint
Plastic driving sprockets - 54x5mm diameter (including teeth), 31.5mm height, 5mm coupling bore
5V 4A LiPo battery pack to power motors and electronics
433 MHz RF transceiver module for receiving distance commands
SG90 micro-servo (1.8kg·cm, 180°) for payload deployment
2x HC-SR04 ultrasonic distance sensors (for obstacle detection/avoidance)
QMC5883L Compass Module (3-axis magnetometer for heading stabilization)

High-precision GPS integration • Add GPS module for payload placement and return.
Adaptive return path planning • Record the outbound trajectory and follow it in reverse (or compute a mirrored path) to minimize return error, rather than relying on fresh GPS fixes alone.
Dynamic obstacle detection & rerouting • Incorporate ultrasonic sensors to detect unexpected obstacles en route to the waypoint and dynamically replan the path, ensuring marker placement remains within the 15 ft threshold.
Automated beacon calibration • Use RF signal strength or time-of-flight measurements from the starting beacon to refine the rover's home position, improving return-to-start accuracy for the second task.

Click Here to Download Mission 3 Code.