Voice Activated Semi-Autonomous Vehicle Using Off the Shelf Home Automation Hardware

The Internet of Things (IoT) is a new trend in technology that is already changing the world in which we live by interconnecting physical objects that can collect or transmit information to us and to each other. In this paper, an application of the use of the IoT is presented by the development of a semi-autonomous utility vehicle using off-the-shelf home automation (smart) components. The system is composed of hardware and software elements that are integrated into a self-propelled scaled down version of an off-road vehicle, a lawn mower. A Web application was built and enabled for Android devices to command and control the vehicle, various applets in the application were enabled to be triggered using the Alexa voice service and an Amazon Tap speaker. The vehicle can be controlled through voice commands and is capable of moving in four directions at five different speeds. It is able to move at an average velocity of 35.7 m/min among its five speeds on vinyl floor, and at an average velocity of 20.8 m/min and 16.3 m/min on concrete and grass, respectively. The ultrasonic sensors installed on the vehicle proved their reliability by stopping the vehicle at an average distance of 7.3 cm away from different obstacles. This paper contributes to existing knowledge on the IoT by providing a demonstration of a semi-autonomous vehicle capable of cloud-based control both with voice commands and through a Web app.