Design and Analysis of Mars Rover

Main Article Content

Dr. B. Vinod, Gokul P, Umashankar S, Vishal A, Gokul D

Abstract

This paper explains various tasks which have to be performed by a mars rover. This rover is designed to participate in the University Rover Challenge (URC) hosted by The Mars society, USA. Hence, the Mars rovers is designed keeping in mind all the constraints imposed by the URC guidelines. The basic features of this rover are divided into three sub-modules i) the robotic arm part iizz) the mobile base or rover mobility system and iii) the science mission module.


A SCARA (Selective Compliance Assembly Robot Arm) configuration arm is used in this rover, since an articulated arm would require more powerful motors to carry the load, compared to a SCARA configuration arm. The rover’s mobility system consist of a chassis and a suspension system. The chassis is designed in such a way that it can be able to withstand the weight of the robotic arm placed over it without tripping over when moving through rough terrains. The suspension system is chosen as Rocker-Bogie. The Rocker-Bogie suspension system has several advantages over the other suspension systems. It can climb the rocks which are twice the diameter of the size of its wheel. There are six-wheels each connected to a DC motor which can be independently controlled. The last sub-module is the science mission module. It has a soil sample collecting mechanism a camera and various other sensors to study the characteristic of the rocks and soil. The main objective of this rover is to find the presence of life in the surface of Mars. Each of these sub-modules are designed and modelled separately and finally put together to form the whole rover. This rover is designed in a way such that it can be able to perform all the tasks efficiently, as required by the URC competition, besides keeping the cost of the rover to a minimum.

Article Details

Section
Articles