Project Gingerbread Man is a project that aims to create an autonomous RC vehicle whose main purpose is to avoid being caught by people, drive around campus, and generally annoy people. We mainly wanted to have some fun and challenge our skills in robotics, computer vision, and artificial intelligence.

About

The project started as a joke among us cause we were bored in our classes in the summer and wanted to spice up campus life. Named Project Gingerbread Man, after the famous nursery rhyme character who ran away from various animals and people, it uses an off-the-shelf RC car as the base and equip it with various sensors, cameras, speakers, and an Arduino as the brain.

Inspiration

The project draws inspiration from both fiction and reality. The RC car’s design, color, and features are based on the Gingerbread Man from the Shrek movie franchise, which is a popular animated comedy film series that parodies fairy tales. The RC car’s body is decorated with candy-like details and has a smiling face on the front. The RC car’s voice and personality are also based on the Gingerbread Man from the movie, who is sarcastic, witty, and defiant. The RC car’s behavior and intelligence are based on various autonomous vehicles that can navigate complex environments and avoid obstacles, such as Google’s self-driving cars, Tesla’s Autopilot system, and Boston Dynamics’ Spot robot.

Features

The project has several features that make it unique and hilarious. Some of them are:

• The RC car can drive autonomously on campus, AI and distance sensors to map its surroundings and plan its route.
• The RC car can detect people nearby and decide whether to avoid them or provoke them.
• The RC car can communicate with people using speakers and a microphone, using text-to-speech and speech-to-text to generate witty remarks and insults.
• The RC car can play music, sound effects, and movie quotes to enhance its mood and expression.

Goals

The project has several goals that motivate its creators and fans. Some of them are:

• To have fun and make people laugh with their prank, creating a memorable experience for everyone involved.
• To test their skills and knowledge in robotics, computer vision, and artificial intelligence, learning new things along the way.
• To raise awareness and debate about the ethical and social implications of autonomous vehicles, especially in terms of safety, privacy, and responsibility.