The KUKA youBot of the RAM group has not been fully operational in years and has been gathering dust in the meantime. With the idea of using the robot for demos at the university, as well as in a theatre-like setting, a revival of the youBot is necessary. For this, it would be beneficial to be able to make the robot move with a single, easy-to-use but flexible interface, where the user is not tasked with the hassle of dealing with internal safety features or limitations in reach or pose.
To make the youBot capable of autonomous or semi-autonomous control, the hardware of the youBot must be checked, repaired and potentially upgraded. Since the current on-board computer is outdated, this should be replaced with a computer that falls in the current standardised computer line of RAM. An investigation on how to integrate a new computer with the other hardware should be performed. Apart from that, an interface must be designed and realised, which allows for the operation of the youBot. The trade-off between ease of use and flexibility for the interface should be made carefully.