Astrobotics
Our team designs, constructs, and programs an autonomous mining robot to compete in the NASA Lunabotics Competition.
What is Astrobotics?
Our team designs, constructs, and programs an autonomous robot to compete in the NASA Lunabotics Competition. The robot is required to navigate a simulated lunar environment containing craters and boulders to reach a mining zone. Then the robot must dig at least 30 cm deep to retrieve gravel and navigate back through the environment to deposit the gravel in a marked location. It is theorized gravel beneath the moon’s surface may contain ice: a source for fuel, oxygen, and water. These resources would enable a sustainable habitat on the moon. Student teams in the competition are scored on their robot’s competition performance, and technical papers on project management, outreach, and systems engineering.
Who can join?
Any undergraduate VT student is welcome to join.
Fast Facts
Team size: About 20 members
Department Afiliation: Aerospace and Ocean Engineering
Workshop: Ware Lab