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Mechanical Engineering Design I, II — 3DoF Pan-Tilt System

Senior Capstone Design Project  ·  MEC 441/442

Mechanical Design Pan-Tilt System Color Tracking Servo Control Camera System Capstone

Project Overview

Pan-Tilt System Design Drawings
A Senior Capstone Design project to build an effective camera tracking system capable of following objects in any direction. Rather than complex object detection algorithms, the system leverages color-based tracking for real-time responsiveness across pan and tilt axes.

Key objectives of the project:

  • Design and fabricate a multi-axis camera mount for full directional coverage
  • Implement color-based object detection for real-time tracking
  • Address mechanical constraints such as wire management during rotation
  • Explore and compare multiple concept designs for the 3DoF joint configuration

Results & Challenges

Fabrication Work

Several engineering challenges were encountered during development. Low camera resolution affected tracking accuracy, and wire tangling during rotation was a persistent mechanical issue. Multiple concept designs were evaluated to resolve the wire management problem.

The initial objective was to achieve full 3DoF motion, but the roll axis rotation could not be successfully implemented due to unsolved wire tangling — resulting in a 2DoF (pan + tilt) final design. The lessons learned informed the follow-up research project (Project 4) on image recognition-based 3D object detection.

Project Documentation

For more detailed information, you can view the full project report:

📄 Project Report (PDF)