Design and Prototyping of a Low-Cost Mobile Robot Drive System for Outdoor Autonomous Logistics Solutions

The paper focuses on the development of a drive system for outdoor autonomous logistics robots, emphasising cost-effectiveness, modularity and adaptability through open-source software (ROS). The design process includes selecting components for the drive system, building a hardware prototype using an affordable microcontroller, and implementing closed-loop control using a PI controller. The PI gains are derived from system dynamic modelling using a black box modelling approach with Matlab/Simulink and the microcontroller. The robot is integrated with ROS and can be manoeuvred using ROS commands from the onboard PC, facilitating integration with high-level sensors and advanced algorithms.