SmartcarEmul

A Smartcar emulator

Description

SmartcarEmul is an emulator for devices based on the SmartCar.

Through the emulator, a user is able to test their Arduino code with a vehicle in a virtual world. Various hardware devices are integrated so that a majority of user code can run without any modification. Uith the help of game engine, one can take control of a camera in the virtual environment and observe it under whatever angle they desire.

Via the emulator, users would also be able to test the capability of their code without interacting with the real car. This could be done remotely through the mobile application that would be provided alongside the emulator.

To make the aforementioned possible, the emulator would use the SmartCar Shield library to control various interactions with the SmartCar, through which we would be able to properly showcase the full potential of the SmartCar library by utilising multiple features from it. Furthermore, since we would not depending on any specific host hardware, our emulator would demonstrate the hardware flexibility of the library.

Rationale

In 2019, several teams of students in the DIT112 course of Gothenburg University demonstrated that the Smartcar platform allows its users to solve a large number of problems. In an effort to allow potential users to run the students' code themselves and even try to see if the platform is a feasible option for their needs, we have come up with an emulator - a virtual world which lets its users develop proofs of concept on the Smartcar platform without the need for access to the hardware.

Supported hosts

• Linux-based systems (feel free to try out other Un*x systems)
• Microsoft Windows (NT kernel)
• macOS

Build dependencies

• CMake >= 3.13
• A C++2a capable toolchain
• Prebuilt Urho3D (1.7.1)
• This git repository's submodules in thirdparty/

Supported compilers

• GNU GCC >= 9
• Clang/LLVM >= 10
• MSVC >=? 19.26

Build instructions

git clone --recurse-submodules \
    https://github.com/DIT112-V20/group-09 # Fetch sources
mkdir build                                # Create build location
cd build
cmake ..                                   # Configure
cmake --build .                            # Build
ctest                                      # Optional: run tests

Developer guidance

A hacker's guide to SMCE

User guidance

MacOS user guidance

Windows user guidance

Features overview (not exhaustive)

• Run a basic Arduino sketch in the virtual world
• Support for the Arduino Serial, Wire, Servo, and SPI libraries
• Support for the current Smartcar configuration

Detailed list under Milestone details in the sidebar

Non-goals

Could be implemented later

• Centrifugal force
• Coriolis force
• Fluids (lift/drag, buoyancy, ...) in the physics simulation
• Android library to communicate with the virtual Bluetooth
• Support for the Arduino WiFi library

Will never be part of the project

• Support for another framework than Arduino