Building a Self-Driving Go Kart

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Published 2023-08-27
I made a self-driving go kart by utilizing a machine learning technique called behavioral cloning.

Please consider supporting my projects on Patreon: www.patreon.com/AustinBlake/

The go kart (AKA the Teskart) is equipped with 3 Logitech C920 webcams. All three cameras are used during data collection and only the middle one is used when self-driving. It provides the necessary visual input for the model to analyze and make steering decisions.

The steering motor is from a power wheelchair. The wheelchair motor functions as a giant servo motor which is controlled by an Arduino and a Cytron DC motor driver. Position feedback is achieved through a potentiometer that rotates along with the motor shaft. The Arduino reads the potentiometer value and PWM signal, and uses a PID controller to compute and provide the appropriate output.

A second Arduino is used to receive the predicted steering angle data from Python though serial communication and convert it into a PWM signal to be sent to the first Arduino.

An onboard laptop serves as the brains behind the operation and is used for recording data, training the model, and evaluating its performance.

The Complete Self-Driving Car Course - Applied Deep Learning (This course always goes on sale so do not pay full price if you plan on purchasing):

www.udemy.com/course/applied-deep-learningtm-the-c…

How to Make an R/C Servo from a Wiper Motor | James Bruton:
   • How to Make an R/C Servo from a Wiper...  

Build a Custom Servo Motor with a DC Motor | DroneBot Workshop:
   • Build a Custom Servo Motor with a DC ...  

Music by Karl Casey @ White Bat Audio

Music also from Epidemic Sound & YouTube Audio Library

Pixel Art by Fabled Frame:
www.artstation.com/fabledframe

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Instagram: www.instagram.com/austiwawa/

All Comments (21)
  • @DrKoneko
    I'd love to see an improved version of this. Like I'd like to see it get good enough that it can drive itself on paths like this that it's never seen before. That'd be sick.
  • @TheDorazio
    For those wondering, looks like about $250 for the cameras, $75 for the motor controller, $40 for the steering motor itself, $30 for the Arduino Nanos, $120 for the batteries, and probably another $20-30 for the various other electronics & wiring pieces. All-in I'm guessing a bit over $500 to add self-driving. Huge cost savings by not using LIDAR and having a laptop be the brains instead of an embedded system like Nvidia Drive. Very impressive!
  • @PeTr01
    What a brilliant project, it had every element of engineering, especially the ever so dreadful equivalent to “ah for got the semicolon”. I loved every second of this video and even considering doing something similar for my capstone project, hope to see more content from you in the near future
  • @dinohorseaborus
    How on earth does this not have more views!? Amazing work!
  • Great job! This was my intro to your channel. You’re really easy to listen to and have a nice calm approach. I can 100% relate to a simple single coding error throwing you off in a relatively complex project such as this one.
  • @manicmods
    I cannot imagine how over the head that course you took would be for me 😅 superbly done!!! 👍👍👍
  • @marsrover001
    It's a perfect re-creation of tesla, random crashes and all. 😂
  • @benbryant8445
    New sub here. Great job, you explain things well, I'm sure a lot of people see the value in you sharing your learning experience. Keep it up.
  • @No-bn2el
    This is such an underrated video! I don't know why I didn't get this recommended earlier. Great work!
  • @I.no.ah.guy57
    Nice man, I just found you yesterday and I'm had a good time watching all your videos. Can't wait to see what else you create!!
  • @hyukcho328
    You did it! It is educational, informative and entertaining. Excellent work!!!
  • @tw1874
    Very juicy project indeed, thanks for sharing! You inspired me to "re-engineer" my old Volvo 740.. 😃
  • @GaiusGarage
    Amazing job! I hope to put something like this together one day.
  • @ryanreedgibson
    Wow, you made this really easy to understand. I am surprised by the lack of views. Truly awesome video.
  • @osa8osa
    Bravo Blake, this is so huge work. I am amazed with patience... 🎉
  • @grey1185
    This is really motivating me to do one of my projects that would use CV for navigation. I was wanting to buy the unitree go1 and do something similar around my town, have a manipulator arm and such. Take it to the store, grab a bag of chips, then leave. Something I have always wanted to do, but havent been able to since moving houses frequently for uni. Watching this video has really motivated me to push for that, as this is why I am in university right now doing mechatronics, despite the wavering motivation to push on from the flood of assignments and exams. Well done mate, your video is a real inspiration. If I do get around to my project over summer break, you would of been a major contributor to keeping my head up in my studies and pushing for that goal. Your stuff is legendary and I look forward to seeing what you do next.
  • @thisquietplace
    I hope the algorithm picks up this video soon, very underrated, great stuff
  • @MCsCreations
    Fantastic work, Austin! Really well done! 😃 Stay safe there with your family! 🖖😊