Scout Robotic Pet

Scout is a robotic pet that follows users around open spaces. Mimicking the simple companionship of a small pet, Scout uses computer vision and an array of sensors to navigate its environment. Developed in 36 hours, Scout runs OpenCV on a Raspberry Pi and was programmed using both C++ and Python.

My Contributions

  • Rapidly built chassis with found parts and makeshift fasteners.
  • Wired connections between sensors, Arduino, and Raspberry Pi.
  • Developed OpenCV application to find person in frame and calculate necessary steering angle.
  • Perfected interaction to make Scout seem likelike and reactive.
  • Engineered a temporary fix mid-competition to use Amazon Rekognition cloud based application instead of OpenCV.
  • Featured in the Boston Business Journal.

My partner and I with Scout at HackBeanpot.

My partner presenting Scout's ability to detect the edges of tables.

Closeup of Scout showing camera and exposed "brains."