Mars-Rover-Prototype

Situation

A friend from a local university asked for my help in a computer engineering project competition. They lacked experience in hardware and project development, so they reached out to me because of my expertise in Arduino. I agreed to assist, and they offered a grant of 50,000 INR (around $600) from the government for creating the prototype and scaling up the project. I took on the project for the valuable experience it offered.

Task

My task was to create a compact Mars rover prototype equipped with 6 wheels, designed to effortlessly traverse 45-degree slopes. The rover needed wireless communication for remote operation and must include additional features to explore unknown environments. All of this had to be achieved within a strict budget of $600 and a time limit of 2 months, making it a challenging yet rewarding project.

Action

First, I divided my actions into three main parts for the embedded system:

• 1.Features of the Rover: I designed this part using Arduino Mega and incorporated 5 essential features - soil moisture detection, temperature sensing, gas detection, flame detection, and proximity sensing.
• 2.of the Rover: For this, I created a separate embedded system using 6 DC motors and a motor driver, ensuring smooth and precise movement for the rover.
• 3.Wireless Communication: To enable remote operation, I opted for the Bluetooth HC-05 module. This allowed me to control the rover conveniently from a mobile or tablet.

By organizing the development process this way, I successfully integrated all the necessary functionalities into the small Mars rover prototype.

Result

As a result, I successfully completed my part in the project. I designed the rover craft using PVC and handled all the paintwork personally. Additionally, I took full responsibility for creating the entire circuit on the PCB and wrote the code from scratch. The outcome was a remarkable rover prototype that not only got selected for a prestigious high-scale competition but also emerged victorious. The experience gained throughout this journey was truly invaluable, encompassing all the aspects I mentioned.

Technologies:

• - Arduino Programming
• - Project designing
• - PCB making
• - Crafting (Pain job/ alignment)
• - Team work (leadership)
• - Mechanics