Innovative Features

Dynamic/Reactive Path-Finding

All robots are able to dynamically navigate around the house to move to points of interest, static or not. In addition to this, if robots are manually moved from one location to another, they recalibrate themselves and resume their tasks as per normal. More details regarding its implementation can be found in Robot Communication.

Control Panel

An Interactive GUI was created in Python to graphically showcase the state of each robot, including the Resident. Users may also use the GUI to 'inject' random events into the simulation to help with debugging and showcasing. The user is able to specify the exact details of this externally injected event, including its priority. Following a request from the GUI to the Scheduler, the effect from an injected event can be realised immediately.

Probabilistic Modelling

DiceRoller classes were created to simulate random events as they would occur in real life, such as anxiety/depression and illnesses. Robots respond to random events dynamically despite not being part of the fixed schedule. The Scheduler aids in prioritising these events and fitting them into the current event queue. For more information regarding the the scheduling of random events, see Event Scheduling.

3D Model

Recognising that a visually aesthetic world model will aid in viewing the simulation, the simulation includes a house that has been set up with 3D furnishing around the house. Custom models have also been implemented for each of the robots including the Resident to dispel confusion as to which robot is which.