Mars Rover Project

Members: Ulysses Brenzel, Grace Chen, Leo Fuchs, Lindsay Harley

Project Storyboard!

Assignment Specifications:

Objective: Design, build, test, and operate a “Mars Rover” that can traverse different terrains, climb up hills, and pick up objects. The rover will compete against other rovers in the class in a competition in which the team is awarded points according to the types of land the rover traverses and the objects it picks up.

Course:

Phase 1: Gripper Sprint

25 September 2023

Our gripper sprint video – gripper picking up one of the power cubes that will be on the course.

In two weeks, we designed and tested a gripper made out of plywood and PLA and controlled by a RC controller.

Phase 2: SRR – Systems Requirements Review

2 October 2023

SRR Submission – SRR instructions linked above.

Individually and as a team, we were asked to (1) Generate 3 strategies, 2-3 concepts for each strategy, and pick the most promising strategy, (2) Try things and fail! Create simple foam core prototypes and test them, (3) Converge and refine our findings as a group to decide on our final strategy and finalize our initial design ideas.

Phase 3: PDR – Preliminary Design Review

16 October 2023

PDR submission linked above. Picture of our first full assembly of our rover below. Following our SRR, we reiterated and documented our modules, subsystems and components using an organized process.

We developed a CAD model of each part that is to be fabricated and assembled all parts to develop an assembly model of our rover. Additionally, we started our Bill of Materials (BOM).

Phase 4: CDR – Critical Design Review

30 October 2023

CDR submission linked above.

We reiterated our design – I was the lead designer for the “gripper” mechanism. After testing our improved gripper design we realized it cannot pick up the alien artifact on the course, so I redesigned the gripper mechanism (shown below). The new design will allow for scooping of the objects and can scoop the alien artifact. The previous design was not able to grip the alien artifact well. Besides improving our initial designs, we did center of mass, tipping point, and gearbox calculations.