T h eM i s s i o n
Our Mission
The Michigan Mars Rover Team designs, builds, and tests a Mars rover prototype to compete in the University Rover Challenge. Our interdisciplinary team of students pushes the boundaries of what's possible in student-led space exploration.
Mobility
Develops drive and suspension systems for navigating rough terrain while ensuring reliable driving and protecting onboard equipment from impacts.
Chassis
Creates a lightweight, strong chassis optimized for subsystem integration, plus gimbal cameras, electrical enclosures, and wire management.
Robotic Arm
Designs and builds a five degree-of-freedom robotic arm responsible for lifting, opening drawers, pushing buttons, typing, and precise movements.
Science Payload
Performs in-situ sampling with on-board science tests, environmental sensors, and external cameras for rock analysis, using a linear actuator-driven auger system.
Astrobiology
Develops tests analyzing soil and rock samples for life indicators, researching tests and implementing them on the rover for competition use.
Power
Provides rover power management and distributes electricity to key systems, currently improving custom battery design.
Embedded Hardware
Designs custom circuit boards for actuator control, sensor signal reception, and data connections between electronics and external components.
Communications
Ensures wireless RF communication between base station and rover through equipment testing and selection.
Perception
Identifies environmental features and objects as part of the Autonomy team using camera and sensor data.
Navigation
Uses A* pathfinding to plan obstacle-avoiding routes as part of the Autonomy team.
Localization
Determines rover position and orientation as part of the Autonomy team using sensor fusion and mapping.
Drone
Develops manual and autonomous drone capable of reading signs, locating objects, and communications support during delivery missions.
Teleoperation
Builds the base station GUI with mission views, control interfaces for arm and drive systems, 3D visualization, and camera streaming.
Embedded Software
Writes low-level driver code abstracting manufacturer libraries in C and Python for other programming teams.