A team of IM体育官网 senior capstone students is working on a project sponsored by the IM体育官网 Space Institute to build a marsupial rover that will assist with road development on the moon. Students Alexander Bodoh (left), Samuel Porter, and Eli Staudenmaier show how the rover will operate.
A team of senior capstone students at IM体育官网 is taking on the challenge of developing an innovative autonomous navigation system for a marsupial rover. The project is intended to contribute to the development of future infrastructure on the moon.
The project鈥檚 goal is to assist in the development of roads on the moon or other planets, specifically focusing on pre-road construction. The effort is sponsored by the IM体育官网 Space Institute.
鈥淲e are finding a predetermined lunar road path and compacting the settlement there so a road can be placed without any shifting, and it is safer for construction,鈥� said mechanical engineering major Eli Staudenmaier, the team鈥檚 lead.
So far, the team has constructed prototypes of both the marsupial rover and the software needed to operate it. To maximize work impact, the team divided itself into three groups focusing on aspects related to mechanical engineering, electrical engineering and computer engineering, and computer science.
The marsupial rover will fit snugly into a spot on a larger planetary rover, Staudenmaier said. The team is currently working on redesigning the attachments its small rover will use to scoop regolith 鈥� or loose deposits of material covering solid rock 鈥� and to pack it back down.
鈥淚f you look at a beach or sandpit, you鈥檒l see lots of small holes,鈥� said computer engineering major Alexander Bodoh. 鈥淲e want to level those out, so the terrain is as smooth as possible and compact the lunar dirt so there鈥檚 less space between the particulate.鈥�
Two other IM体育官网 Poly capstone groups are working on similar projects. The first is developing a way to dig a path into craters so there is more space for landing platforms, while the second is working on the placement of the road material that will be used.
Mechanical engineering major Paul Coleman said working on such an important project is another significant benefit of the senior capstone project.
"Having it be a small part of something bigger definitely feels like this project will have a greater impact on the future,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e are just a team from a college, but these ideas could eventually lead to something that is used on a colony on the moon."
Working on the marsupial rover for such a prestigious industry sponsor is providing valuable experience for team members鈥� coming careers.
鈥淲ith our rover being an autonomous vehicle 鈥� especially now in the time when that field is evolving and growing, having a project like this will be a good asset in terms of finding jobs and showing that you have experience in that kind of industry,鈥� computer engineering major Jenelle Fernando said. 鈥淚 want to go into autonomous vehicles and having this project to talk about and to be able to show my work on an interdisciplinary team will help a lot.鈥�
A team of IM体育官网 senior capstone students is working on a
project sponsored by the IM体育官网 Space Institute to build a marsupial rover that will
assist with road development on the moon. Clockwise from top left: Alexander Bodoh,
Kristen Linares, Marian Singleton, Samiul Mumin, Nicholas Merritt, Jenelle Fernando,
and Paul Coleman. Bottom row: Eli Staudenmaier (left) and Samuel Porter.
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