College - Author 1
College of Engineering
Department - Author 1
Electrical Engineering Department
Degree Name - Author 1
BS in Electrical Engineering
College - Author 2
College of Engineering
Department - Author 2
Electrical Engineering Department
Degree - Author 2
BS in Electrical Engineering
College - Author 3
College of Engineering
Department - Author 3
Electrical Engineering Department
Degree - Author 3
BS in Electrical Engineering
Date
6-2026
Primary Advisor
Clay McKell, College of Engineering, Electrical Engineering Department
Abstract/Summary
This report documents the design, implementation, and testing of an autonomous litter-collection rover developed as a Senior Project Design Lab (EE 460/463/464) at California Polytechnic State University. The rover integrates autonomy, computer vision, embedded real-time control, mecanum-wheel omnidirectional mobility, and a two-degree-of-freedom robotic arm to detect, approach, and collect small ground-level litter such as bottles, wrappers, and paper fragments.
The system uses a two-layer compute architecture: an NVIDIA Jetson Orin Nano running ROS 2 for perception, SLAM, and path planning, paired with an STM32L4A6ZG microcontroller for real-time motor control and odometry. The robot is built on a multi-level aluminum frame with a 3D-printed collection ramp and custom electronics housings.
The completed system demonstrated autonomous litter detection, target localization, path planning, obstacle avoidance, and robotic collection capabilities. Testing validated battery-powered teleoperation, real-time perception, and autonomous navigation using a custom Theta* planning framework and ROS 2 autonomy stack. Path-following experiments achieved mean cross-track errors as low as 0.033 m during nominal operation and 0.059 m in obstacle-avoidance scenarios. Scoop testing achieved success rates of up to 100% for plastic bottle collection and 90% for several paper-based litter configurations. The final platform weighed approximately 42 lb and integrated a YOLO-based detector trained on approximately 12,700 images. This report presents the system architecture, design methodology, implementation, testing procedures, results, and lessons learned.
URL: https://digitalcommons.calpoly.edu/eesp/712
Included in
Acoustics, Dynamics, and Controls Commons, Computer and Systems Architecture Commons, Controls and Control Theory Commons, Electrical and Electronics Commons, Hardware Systems Commons, Other Electrical and Computer Engineering Commons, Robotics Commons