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Autnomous Mars Rover with a 6 DOF Robotic Arm
Mechanical Design| Solidworks | Ansys | Motion Simulation | CNC Machining | 3D Printing
Project Overview
While I was getting my undergraduate degree at Manipal Institute of Technology in Mechanical Engineering, I was part of a student robotics team called “Mars Rover Manipal”. The team, comprised of 40 students spanning 8 disciplines of Engineering, designs and builds prototype Mars Rovers to compete in the University Rover Challenge, an annual robotics competition held at the Mars Desert Research Station in Utah, USA. I led the Mechanical and Manufacturing subdivision of the team, where I managed a team of 7 people responsible for the rover’s mechanical design, manufacturing, and maintenance.
To learn more about the Rover’s abilities and the competition challenges, check out the team’s System Acceptance Review (SAR) submission for the 2022 edition of the University Rover Challenge (URC) down below.
Mars Rover Manipal’s System Acceptance Review for the University Rover Challenge 2022
The Mars Rover features a 6 DOF Robotic Arm for manipulating objects in the environment and a differentially steered drive system for navigating the tough Martian terrain. The rover clocks in at a little under 50 kgs, with either the arm or the soil collection module on board, depending on the competition task.
Robotic Arm Specifications:
- 6 DOF Articulated type Robotic Manipulator
- 3 DOF end effector (Bevel gear cage differential mechanism).
- Payload – 5kgs
- Vertical Reach – 1.2m
- Power transmission to the second rotational joint is achieved through the help of a timing belt.
- Gear reducers for the first and second pitch axes are located at the base to reduce mass moment of inertia (increases stiffness).
Drive System Specifications:
- Maximum Obstacle Height – 40cm
- Wheels – PU Baloon tyres/3D printed PLA tyres, Diameter = 30cm
- Linkages – AL-6061 T6
- Suspension is based on planar five-bar linkage mechanism.
- 2 DOFs of the five-bar mechanism are constrained using torsion springs.
- A torsion spring preloading mechanism is used to tune the stiffness of the system and achieve favourable traversal characteristics.
- Patent Filed – Novel Suspension System for Off-road Exploration Rovers. Application Number – 202141051528, Filed November 10th, 2021.
Soil Collection Module Specifications:
- 3D-printed augers can collect soil up to a depth of 7cm.
- Multiple augers are used to prevent sample cross-contamination.
- Can collect, store and analyse up to 3 distinct soil samples.
- Chemicals are transported to the samples using peristaltic pumps.
- Sensor array on the rear, driven using a lead screw mechanism, features a temperature sensor, hydraprobe, moisture sensor and pH probe.
