User Defined Path Following Robot

Projects General Guidance
1

Hi guys,

I am controlling a decent sized car (4 feet by 5 feet) using an arduino. I want the car to be able to follow a user defined path. The path i want to follow consists of turns and lots of moving in straight line. The main issue is that the tires don't always move at the same angular speed causing the car to move left or right when I am assuming it is moving straight. I can not put tape on the ground to follow the line due to some other constraints I have. However, I am able to place magnet strips and a hall sensors as checkpoints. Does anybody have any suggestions?

Thanks in advance

2

Each wheel needs a shaft encoder on either the wheel motor or the axle. Then a control program can force the wheels to turn at the same rate, or move the vehicle the same distance as measured by each wheel. This approach works for turns, too. It is called odometry.