I designed and built a competition-level autonomous soccer robot as part of a three-robot team for the World Robotics Championship 2022. The system was engineered for precise omnidirectional motion, controlled ball handling, and accurate shooting under dynamic gameplay conditions. The robot achieved Top Finalist placement and demonstrated stable real-time control and mechanical reliability during competition.

Embedded Software & Control Systems

The robot’s motion system was built around real-time embedded motor control supporting a mecanum wheel drivetrain, enabling full omnidirectional movement.

The control architecture implemented:

• Directional vector decomposition for mecanum kinematics

• Independent PWM-based speed control for four motors

• Real-time synchronization across multiple motor drivers

• Combined translational and rotational motion control

This allowed the robot to:

• Move forward, backward, and laterally

• Rotate in place

• Execute simultaneous rotation and translation

Careful speed balancing and control-loop tuning were required to prevent drift and maintain accurate trajectory execution. Firmware timing and motor updates were optimized to ensure low-latency response during rapid directional changes. The control system also coordinated ball-handling and shooting mechanisms, ensuring smooth transitions between movement and actuation.

Hardware & Mechanical System Integration

The hardware platform integrated four independently driven motors, motor driver circuitry, a microcontroller-based control unit, and a custom power distribution system designed to handle high current demand during acceleration and shooting.

The mechanical system was engineered around a mecanum wheel drivetrain, requiring precise wheel alignment and balanced weight distribution to maintain stable omnidirectional motion.

In addition, I designed a custom ball-handling and shooting mechanism featuring:

• A controlled gripping and stabilization system

• Torque-optimized motor selection for shooting

• A mechanically reinforced chassis for impact resistance

Electrical stability and mechanical alignment were critical to ensuring predictable system behavior under dynamic gameplay conditions.