A cost-effective GPS-aided autonomous guided vehicle for global path planning

Abstract

This paper presents a robotic platform of a cost-effective GPS-aided autonomous guided vehicle (AGV) for global path planning. The platform is made of a mechanical radio controlled (RC) rover and an Arduino Uno microcontroller. An installed magnetic digital compass helps determine the right direction of the RC rover by continuously synchronising the heading and bearing of the vehicle. To ensure effective monitoring of the vehicle's position as well as track the corresponding path, an LCD keypad shield was, further, used. The contribution of the work is that the designed GPS-aided AGV can successfully navigate its way towards a destination point in an obstacle-free outdoor environment by solely relying on its calculations of the shortest path and utilising the corresponding GPS data. This result is achieved with a minimum error possible that lies within a circle of one meter radius around the given destination. As a result, the devised GPS-aided AGV could be used in a variety of applications such as landmine detection and removal.