LineMaster Pro: A Low-Cost Intelligent Line Following Robot with PID Control and Ultrasonic Obstacle Avoidance for Educational Robotics

Abstract

Line following robots are fundamental platforms in robotics education, yet commercially available solutions remain prohibitively expensive ($150-300$) while lacking integrated obstacle detection capabilities essential for real-world applications. This paper presents LineMaster Pro, an intelligent low-cost line following robot implemented on an Arduino Nano platform that integrates dual TCRT5000 infrared sensors for precision line tracking, an HC-SR04 ultrasonic sensor for real-time obstacle detection, a digitally tuned PID controller with Ziegler-Nichols optimization, and a hierarchical finite state machine for robust obstacle avoidance. A systematic four-phase sensor calibration methodology ensures reliable operation across varying lighting and surface conditions. Experimental validation through 200 controlled trials and 72-hour continuous operation demonstrates mean tracking accuracy of 1.18 cm at 0.4 m/s (95\% CI [1.06, 1.30]), obstacle detection reliability of 96.7\% within 10-40 cm range with 0.7\% false positive rate, and 94\% successful recovery from path deviations. The PID implementation achieves 43\% improvement over conventional on-off control ($p<0.001$). At a total hardware cost of \$28.50 based on verified Bangladesh market prices, LineMaster Pro achieves a 94\% cost reduction compared to commercial alternatives, establishing a practical benchmark for accessible robotics education in resource-constrained environments.