Autonomous Robot to Collect Table-Tennis Balls

Advances in robotics and artificial intelligence have the potential to revolutionize the way we live our daily lives. Rather than being a danger to humans, robotics and AI can be used to augment human capabilities, making our lives easier, safer, and more efficient. The prospect of integrating the ability to utilize the power of AI and machine learning into robotics for understanding incoming data collected from the surrounding environment by providing them with various types of sensors and cameras, as is the case in image and object recognition for example, means that we are heading towards a future of even greater dependency on intelligent connected devices in our daily lives. The aim of this project is to design and develop an autonomous robot capable of collecting table tennis balls to assist people with disabilities in playing table tennis. This is an excellent example of how robotics and AI can be used to benefit society. By automating the task of collecting balls, the robot reduces the physical burden on players with disabilities and allows them to focus on the game. This project demonstrates the potential of robotics and AI to improve the quality of life for people with disabilities and highlights the importance of responsible development and deployment of these technologies. The robot, which is based on the iRobot Create 3 platform and is equipped with a mounted camera, is controlled by a Jetson Nano microcontroller. The Jetson Nano processes the input from the camera and utilizes a machine-learning model to identify table tennis balls in the image. Once the ball is detected, the Jetson Nano sends signals to the iRobot Create 3 to move towards the ball. The robot is designed to collect the balls using a servo motor-controlled mechanical arm that picks up the ball and places it in a basket. This project is a step towards making sports more accessible for people with disabilities and has the potential to be extended to other sports with small objects