Robotic Explorer for Hypothesized Surfaces – Pharaoh

INSTITUTION

Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT)

CLASS

Iridium Class (2024 – 2025)

STUDENT TEAM

Sean Borkholder, Electrical Engineering

Alec McDougall, Electrical Engineering

Luke Webster, Mechanical Engineering

Ludovico Zanotti, Industrial Engineering

Zack Mcgowan, Mechanical Engineering

Lanning Torebka, Mechanical Engineering

PJ Martin, 3D Digital Design
Tommy Desjardins, 3D Digital Design

Tiffany Vu, 3D Digital Design

ACADEMIC GUIDANCE

Mark Minunni, Guide
Carlos Barrios, Professor
Jen Indovina, Professor

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

The purpose of this project was to create a prototype rover that is able to withstand and traverse the conditions of the metallic asteroid 16-Psyche. This design is unique since it takes advantage of Psyche’s low gravity to hop rather than rolling or walking across the surface. The design is a symmetrical, four-sided pyramid with a leg in each corner that gets compressed with a spring. By releasing the compressed legs, the rover is propelled upward, enabling it to hop in any direction and avoid large obstacles on the surface.

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This work was created in partial fulfillment of the Rochester Institute of Technology Capstone Course “EEEE 497″/”MECE 497″/”ISEE 497”. The work is a result of the Psyche Student Collaborations component of NASA’s Psyche Mission (https://psyche.asu.edu). “Psyche: A Journey to a Metal World” [Contract number NNM16AA09C] is part of the NASA Discovery Program mission to solar system targets. Trade names and trademarks of ASU and NASA are used in this work for identification only. Their usage does not constitute an official endorsement, either expressed or implied, by Arizona State University or National Aeronautics and Space Administration. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of ASU or NASA.