Throughout the past month, each of our teams have been working diligently, aiming to have a driving rover by the end of the semester. This will allow the team to spend a semester iterating on the design to ensure it is ready for competition. Each of the teams has made great progress and we remain on track for CIRC in the Summer of 2024.
The build team has finalized nearly all of the design components necessary to construct the chassis of the rover. Custom-machined metal parts have been designed, ordered, and delivered. Now, the team is beginning to construct the rover chassis. One challenge the build team has is difficulty finding appropriate wheels for the rover and a reliable way to mount them to the suspension system. However, a team has been dedicated to this issue to ensure the rover is able to drive after it is constructed. Construction of both the extrude aluminum frame and the rocker-bogie suspension system are well underway.
Figure 1: Members assembling extrude aluminum frame
Figure 2: Member buulding suspension system
The computer team has been hard at work on a variety of projects. The development of software to control the rover’s smart motors is nearing completion. Code for several of the rover’s sensors has been completed. Work has begun on integrating a USB game controller with the base station to allow intuitive control of the rover. And development has begun on a solution to provide long-range communication to and from the rover with high bitrate and low latency. The team sims to provide near-real-time control and feedback of the rover over several kilometers. The physical electrical layout has also begun construction including wiring, adding connectors, microcontroller placement, and more.
Figure 3: Member soldering electronic components
The science team has created preliminary testing procedures for the various tests at CIRC. They have also determined necessary material sample sizes which will aid the build team in constructing an appropriate collection mechanism. For now, the Science Team will continue to research procedures while they await the delivery of the various chemicals and supplies needed to perform further research and experimentation.To prepare for the Mars Rover Team’s trip to Drumheller, Alberta, Canada, the business team has been working out logistics to ensure safe and successful travel to and from the competition site. This process involves planning a road trip to transport, planning flights for members, and organizing lodging and other logistics.
The UD Mars Rover Team is proud of our work this month to push us even further towards our goal of attending competition this Summer. In December, we aim to complete a preliminary, driving build of the rover which can be used for testing and iteration. So far, this semester has been the most productive in UDMRT history. We look forward to continuing this progression and seeing months of hard work from dozens of students come together.