Design and implementation of a low-cost mobile robot prototype for trajectory tracking and robotic swarm tasks in research and educational applications

This work presents the design and implementation of a low-cost mobile robot prototype for trajectory tracking and robotic swarm tasks, aimed at research and educational applications. The robot is equipped with encoders for precise movement control and features wireless communication capabilities, enabling multiple robots to operate together using the ESP-NOW (Espressif's proprietary wireless protocol) protocol. The input for calculating the trajectory is provided by a camera positioned 1.5 meters away, which analyzes the environment and supplies the necessary data for tracking. The system's performance was validated through trajectory-following tests, where the robot navigated around several obstacles. The A* algorithm was implemented to calculate optimal paths and avoid collisions, ensuring smooth navigation. The results demonstrated the robot's ability to effectively handle multiple obstacles while maintaining precise trajectory tracking. This prototype offers an affordable solution for educational and research purposes, particularly in multi-robot systems and the study of pathfinding algorithms. Future research can explore the integration of additional sensors and the optimization of the behavior of the swarm.