Mechanical Design:
The Mars Rover
The final project for my Mechanical Design class was to modify an existing RC rover car to make it suitable for traversing a Mars-like landscape. This meant that the car had to be self-righting in a sandy pit, deploy at least two square feet of solar panels, scoop and transport payloads, tow a vehicle, drive up steep surfaces, and navigate obstacles. To achieve the goals of the project, we created three main systems on our rover: a roll cage, a linkage-based panel deployment system, and a servo-driven forklift arm.
Our passive self-righting system comprised of a rigid bell-shaped roll cage was sturdily mounted onto a base plate and then onto the chassis of the rover. The linkage-based solar panel deployment system was mounted to the base plate and controlled by a servo that unfolded two square feet of solar panel material. The rover's servo-driven forklift arm mounted onto the front of the chassis and served both to scoop payloads and hook into the other vehicle for towing. Our rover was able to climb up an incline of 55° due to the lightweight design of our other systems and the concentration of the heaviest components (the servos and most of the hardware) near the base plate. The rover’s profile, although large due to the roll cage, was symmetrical and optimized for ease of maneuverability.
Our team was provided with a SolidWorks CAD model of the original rover base that we augmented with our own designs of these systems. We designed these systems in sub-teams and then implemented them into the master assembly. Our systems were constructed primarily out of laser cut parts that were assembled with hex bolts and adhesives. A few additional parts like servo mounts were 3D printed, and some brackets were machined from sheet metal.
This project gave me valuable experience in creating and managing CAD across a large team, designing mechanical systems to be manufactured and used under real constraints, and assembling and integrating mechatronics systems. Our rover performed remarkably well given the design constraints of the project. To read more about the rover's design and performance, or to view part drawings for the project, check out the final report.
Our passive self-righting system comprised of a rigid bell-shaped roll cage was sturdily mounted onto a base plate and then onto the chassis of the rover. The linkage-based solar panel deployment system was mounted to the base plate and controlled by a servo that unfolded two square feet of solar panel material. The rover's servo-driven forklift arm mounted onto the front of the chassis and served both to scoop payloads and hook into the other vehicle for towing. Our rover was able to climb up an incline of 55° due to the lightweight design of our other systems and the concentration of the heaviest components (the servos and most of the hardware) near the base plate. The rover’s profile, although large due to the roll cage, was symmetrical and optimized for ease of maneuverability.
Our team was provided with a SolidWorks CAD model of the original rover base that we augmented with our own designs of these systems. We designed these systems in sub-teams and then implemented them into the master assembly. Our systems were constructed primarily out of laser cut parts that were assembled with hex bolts and adhesives. A few additional parts like servo mounts were 3D printed, and some brackets were machined from sheet metal.
This project gave me valuable experience in creating and managing CAD across a large team, designing mechanical systems to be manufactured and used under real constraints, and assembling and integrating mechatronics systems. Our rover performed remarkably well given the design constraints of the project. To read more about the rover's design and performance, or to view part drawings for the project, check out the final report.