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The work I’ve done during my Master’s revolved around a golf cart called “USAD-1” that is supposed to be a platform for experimenting with autonomous driving algorithms. The problems I faced revolved around updating the computers aboard the vehicle and redesigning the control system, which is homegrown: since the motor controller the vehicle uses has no CAN interface, a system that can simulate the accelerator pedal using a digital potentiometer has been devised.
Originally, this duty was carried out by the R2P platform, which was developed by a lab in Polytechnic University of Milan; this platform, however, reached EOL and my collegues designed an ad-interim replacement using off-the-shelf components (an STM32 Discovery board and accompaining electronics). My goal was redesigning this board to use more modern components (STM32 NUCLEO F767), while adding several security features such as electromechanical and software interlocks to automatically prevent vehicle operation if faults are detected.