We all love malls, don’t we?

Of course we do! They are swanky, cool and offer plush places options for us to hang out with our friends and beloved ones. However, the moment we get to malls, we are spoilt for choice and lost for options. With these huge multistoreyed and spacious arenas, one always has a hard time spotting where they are located within the mall.

Also, to know about most of the shops and their best deals, we have to traverse from floor to floor to arrive at the store. It is an irony that such a huge, swanky establishment usually does not pay a lot of attention to keep its guests aware of every deal and dining option available in its multiple shops and stalls.

So, what if there was a Mall Assistant that could make it cool for us?

No we are not talking about humans clad in black Tees and showing us directions ! We are talking of Robots!

We developed a mall assistant robot that redefines the landscape of the hospitality industry.

It is a Mall Assistant robot that was developed by the Kidobotikz community to be deployed as a customer assistant for various environments.

It stands tall at 5 feet 5 inches and has an array of sensors dotting its structure. It employs an assortment of Ultrasonic sensors to gain a 360° situational awareness. This helps it navigate through the spaces.

So How does he help the visitors?

As soon as visitors enter the mall, the robot greets them with a smile. It has big blue eyes and a electronic voice that talks to the customers. It also has a large 22 inch touchscreen display screen on its front which acts as an digital billboard/information kiosk/ map all-in-one. All of this expected to give an unparalleled experience to visitors and give them information at their fingertips.

Project Perspective

Mall Assistant Robot is a sophisticated exploration of robotics technology and human-to-computer interaction on a large scale. By focusing on the essential building blocks—a 360-degree ultrasonic array and a large touchscreen—you'll learn how to communicate and guide mall visitors using specialized software logic and a robust mechanical setup.

Technical Implementation: Sensors and Hospitality

The project reveals the hidden layers of simple guide-to-digital interaction:

• Spatial Awareness Layer: Seventeen Ultrasonic Distance Sensors act as high-resolution acoustic eyes, providing 360-degree situational awareness to avoid every obstacle in a busy mall.
• Visual Interface Layer: A 21.5 inch Touch Display acts as the interactive dashboard, providing a digital map and info kiosk service for each user.
• Processing Logic Layer: The Arduino Master and SPduino controllers coordinate the motor tasks and high-speed sensor scans to avoid collisions.
• Conversion Layer: The Robot code follows a specialized "hospitality decoding" strategy: it greets visitors and provides directions or deals based on their touch.
• Auditory Interface Layer: Multimedia 2.1 Speakers and a Logitech camera provide high-definition visual and audio feedback for each visitor's greeting.

Hardware Infrastructure

• Arduino & SPduino: The multi-core "brain" of the project, managing high-speed navigation and coordinating the motor and sensor tasks.
• 17x Ultrasonic Sensors: Providing contactless and reliable distance monitoring for the robot's social environment.
• 21.5" Touchscreen: Providing a high-power and interactive display for the digital billboard and map service.
• Lead Acid 160Ah Battery: Essential for providing the power and energy needed to keep the large robot mobile and self-sufficient.
• PDX132 Gearmotors: Providing high-torque physical movement and orientation for the robot's maneuvers.
• Micro-USB Cable: Used to program the controllers and provide primary power for the initial setup.

Hospitality and Interaction Step-by-Step

The mall assistant robot interaction process is designed to be very efficient:

1. Initialize Hardware: Correctly mount the sensors, touchscreen, and motors on the heavy-duty robot chassis and prepare the Arduino/PC for action.
2. Setup Vision Sync: In the setup() function, initialize the 17-sensor array and the RoboRealm vision software.
3. Execution Loop: The robot constantly performs high-performance navigation checks and updates the hospitality status in real-time.
4. Visual and Audio Feedback Integration: The custom robot automatically becomes a rhythmic visual signal, pulsing and following the visitor's request on the floor.

Future Expansion

• OLED Identity Dashboard Integration: Add a small OLED display inside the control box to show "Battery Health (%)" and "Internal Temperature."
• Multi-sensor Climate Sync Synchronization: Connect a LiDAR sensor to perform higher-precision SLAM navigation in complex mall environments.
• Cloud Interface Registration Support Synchronization: Add a specialized web-dashboard to precisely track and log visitor interaction history from a smartphone over WiFi.
• Advanced Velocity Profile Customization Support: Add specialized "Face Recognition" to the code to recognize and greet store employees or frequent visitors.

Mall Assistant Robot is a perfect project for any electronics enthusiast looking for a more interactive and engaging robotics tool!