Design of human tracking robot utilizing pyroelectric sensor and analogue circuitry

A tracked crawler robot using body heat detection and a purpose built analogue tracking circuit is designed in this work. The infrared detection module consists of a single dual element pyroelectric infrared sensor. The drive and steering control system is designed using a single chip 74HCXX Quad 2-input NAND gate as the logic controller and providing constant forward propulsion whilst in real time adjusting to the subject´s direction. Automatic tracking of animal or human subjects is the sole purpose of the design. The range has been limited to two meters, with a maximum range of five meters. Modification of the pyroelectric sensor enables detection of both left and right movement. The robots ability to follow human and animal motion has been achieved. Visually observed results show the robot is able to drive, turn and detect human and animal motion and can work reliably. The design is able to be utilized using a microprocessor or as a highly responsive analogue unit making it both adaptive and flexible.