The Mars Rover Mission
FALL 2024, DARTMOUTH
BACKGROUND
In ENGS 76: Machine Engineering, our team of five students had ten weeks to design and fabricate a remote controlled “rover” to navigate terrain and collect objects in order to gain points.
OUTCOMES
Our robot, named “Lobstar” due to its 3D printed lobster tail attachment, successfully completed our planned route and picked up all of the objects. Over the course of the term, we justified our design choices with FRDPARRC tables and mathematical analysis, created a complete 3D model of the robot on SOLIDWORKS, and built the robot. I used the laser cutter, 3D printer, mill and lathe to fabricate the parts for our rover.
Our robot “Lobstar”
The SOLIDWORKS model of LobstarA clip of Lobstar during competition dayIMPACT
Over the course of this project, I passed the SOLIDWORKS CAD Design Associate (CSWA) exam to demonstrate my CAD skills. I also improved my ability to fabricate parts with the laser cutter, 3D printer, mill and lathe. I learned how to electronically connect the motors, remote control transmitter, and speed controller to the remote control. I also strengthened my knowledge of solid mechanics concepts by analyzing the stresses on various components. I conducted torque analyses and designed an appropriate gear box to transmit power from the motors to the wheels.
PROCESS
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Choosing a design
Brainstorming sessionPart of gear analysis to design drive trainSketching ideasPrototyping ideasModeling the robot in SOLIDWORKS
Our CAD modelCreating drawings of individual parts (this part attaches the wheel to the d-shaft)Fabrication
To build our robot, we started with a kit of gears, bearings, and other standard parts. Then we had to laser cut and 3D print a variety of custom parts designed in CAD, including a chassis, gearbox walls, and a gripper arm. Finally, we assembled everything together.
I machined this standoff on the latheLaser cutting the chassis and gear boxI milled this angle bracket3D printing a part for our robotWiring everything together and assembling the robotIterative design process
We redesigned and rebuilt the robot multiple times over the course of the term to address a myriad of problems that arose.
First version of the assemblyFinal version of the assembly