RFID Travel Automation Gadget

Red rover, red rover, send this autonomous car right over! This Instructable by  presents a small-scale autonomous car (or a rover) guided on its desired path using radio frequency identification (RFID). Potential application in personal vehicles could lead to fewer accidents and collisions– always a plus.

To do this project, you’ll need a Basys 3, four RFID readers, and at least 40 RFID tags. The autonomous mini-rover also requires four DC motors, motor drivers (you can use two dual motor drivers to save space), a robotic platform made out of two baseplates and motormounts, and a Bluetooth transceiver. For power and connectivity, you’ll need six rechargeable batteries, a standard mobile phone charger, and cable connectors.

Now it’s time to get started! First, you have to build the moving rover (basically the carriage with the power source attached). To do so, screw the mounts and baseplates together and mount the wheels and charger. Then mount the FPGA and connect it to the drivers. Connect the drivers to the motors. Now you can connect the Bluetooth transceiver to the Pmods (PmodHB1). At this point, it’s time to make a Vivado project with the source files available in the Instructable. And now it’s time to test. Test the Android application and the readers. Then test the whole thing. You now have a small autonomous car.

Look at this beauty!
Look at this beauty!

In addition to the stupendous applications for this project, it’s also a fun build. Let us know your thoughts! If you want further information, check out the Instructable.

 

Author

  • Amber Mear

    I was the Digilent blog editor, and now I'm a contributor. I love learning about wearables and writing about social issues in STEM. Outside of work, I can be found watching Netflix with my cat, working on an art project, or trying to find new, delicious local foods.

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About Amber Mear

I was the Digilent blog editor, and now I'm a contributor. I love learning about wearables and writing about social issues in STEM. Outside of work, I can be found watching Netflix with my cat, working on an art project, or trying to find new, delicious local foods.

View all posts by Amber Mear →

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