Robotics · 2016
BD Martian-1 — Mars Rover for the University Rover Challenge
A next-generation Mars rover prototype built by Team DUET TimeOut for the University Rover Challenge, the world's leading robotics competition for student-built planetary rovers. The team qualified for the URC 2017 final in Utah, USA, as one of around 30 teams selected worldwide.
- Robotics
- Mars Rover
- Embedded Systems
- Motor Control
- Wireless Control
Goal:
To design and build a Mars rover able to cross rough, uneven terrain and carry out field tasks, and to represent DUET and Bangladesh at the University Rover Challenge, organised by the Mars Society at the Mars Desert Research Station near Hanksville, Utah, USA.
What I built:
Team DUET TimeOut, led by Rupayan Halder, built BD Martian-1, a rover designed to work on rough terrain such as desert ground or an open field. It was a big step up from the small line follower and maze solver robots of our earlier competitions, which ran only on prepared tracks.
My role:
I worked with the team during the rover's development in Bangladesh, contributing to [your part, e.g. the electronics, motor control and wireless control system]. The senior members of the team represented DUET at the final in the USA.
Challenges / results:
For URC 2016, 63 teams from 16 countries registered, with places in the final for only 28, and teams were first selected on the strength of the video and technical papers they submitted. In 2017, Team DUET TimeOut qualified for the final round of URC 2017, held from 1 to 3 June 2017, as one of around 30 teams selected from around the world.
What came after:
The project showed that a DUET student team could compete on the international stage, and it inspired my own move towards larger, more ambitious builds, including DUET Runway-71, which flew the first drone in DUET's history in August 2017.