Augmented Reality Tourism using Tele-Rover

Abstract

In the present generation, nothing can sound more interesting than having to experience something without actually spending time and money to be there. For example, in the Airforce Wing, pilot trainees can perform their flight maneuvering and other training programs without having to crash a million-dollar plane using Virtual Reality (VR) technology. There are many such instances where we would prefer experiencing certain things without physically present there. In order to make things more emotionally relatable, we are going to integrate VR with robotics to enable us to see and communicate at a place remote from where we presently are. We make use of a rover with a high resolution camera mounted on it along with a microphone module. On the user end, we provide a VR experience through virtual reality headset along with earphones, enabling end to end communication through the Internet Of Things (IoT). Additionally, the user is also provided with a joystick to control the movement of the rover. This rover is equipped with a rocker-bogie mechanism that enables it with an ability to climb staircase effortlessly and navigate through rough terrains easily. The design of rocker-bogie has proven mobility application known for its obstacle-climbing capability and superior vehicle stability. The gyroscope is used for tracking the user's head position. This information is transmitted to the rover, with the use of IoT and the camera on the rover changes its position in both the X and the Y-axis based on the readings received, analogous to the position of user's head.