Another group, made up of computer science undergraduate students, was using a different mobile robot known as a TurtleBot. Their goal was to program the robot to act as a tour guide on the second floor of Franklin Antonio Hall on the UC San Diego campus. The robot can answer questions and is equipped with a detailed map so it can guide visitors to specific locations, such as labs and offices. The students in the group were Pragna Guntupalli, Anika Dontu, Faizan Niazi and Pranav Reddy Bussannagari.
Undergraduate seniors Janeen Taitingfong and Bowen “Bee” Bothello were turning Pupper into a master of ceremonies for party games. “The goal is to see how a robot can facilitate play,” said Taitingfong. The most difficult part of the project was synchronizing the timing of the various sensors the robot uses, including vision and touch, Bothello said.