RaspberryPi

Raspberry Pi Companion Node

This folder upgrades the vehicle from a standalone prototype to a distributed robotics system.

What this node does

• Connects to the ESP32 patrol API over Wi-Fi
• Polls telemetry and forwards it to MQTT topics
• Stores mission logs for assessment and report writing
• Enables integration with dashboards such as Node-RED or Grafana

Quick setup

1. Install Python 3.10+ on Raspberry Pi OS.

2. Install dependencies:

   pip install -r requirements.txt

3. Run bridge:

   python3 patrol_bridge.py --host 192.168.4.1 --mqtt-host localhost

MQTT topics

• patrolcar/status/raw
• patrolcar/status/battery
• patrolcar/status/distance
• patrolcar/events/health

Suggested final-year extensions

• Replace polling with WebSocket stream.
• Add camera pipeline and object detection trigger.
• Add mission planner that sends autonomous route points.