Student Rover explores the backyard in tribute



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Three students were a little sad when NASA’s Opportunity rover went silent after 15 years on the Martian surface. So they decided to build their own Opportunity-inspired rover to roam their backyards using a ready-made robot chassis, a Raspberry Pi and the usual list of parts like motors, H-bridges and batteries.

Like the real rover, the vehicle uses a rocker-bogie system, although it is a little less complex than the version sent by NASA to the red planet. The courageous vehicle comes with miniature solar panels to recharge its battery on board, thanks to dollar garden lights. A pair of videos after the break show how the mobile is controlled, as well as the view returned by its on-board camera.

The rover performed a simulated mission to Mars as part of a school project where it had to find an object and transmit an image of it to its home base, and to its appearance, it was a resounding success. But the young explorers are not resting on their laurels and are already working on a second version of their exploration vehicle that can run in bad weather and includes new tools such as a robotic arm and infrared lighting for in-camera imaging. low light.

We’ve seen a lot of Mars rover clones in the past, but there’s always room for more. Of course, if you’re looking for something a little easier to start with, you can always go the LEGO route.


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