At first MERLIN may look like a normal remote control car, looking closer you will notice a host of sensors bolted to the frame. These sensors allow the car to learn about its surroundings and perform things such as obstacle avoidance.

“MERLIN is controlled by 80C167 CR 16 bit-processor. The microprocessor is employed for interfacing sensor data acquisition, sensor data pre-processing, calculation of the control algorithms, and telecommunication with a remote control and monitoring station. The microcontroller, electronic circuits, motors, and sensors are supplied by a 7.2 V and 12 V NiMH batteries. Two motors on MERLIN, steering and driving dc motors, control the direction and the speed of the car. There are 3 modes of operations, path control, joystick control, and obstacle avoidance (collision avoidance)”