B.U.T.T.E.R - HERA Moonscape

Description

The HERA Moonscape Rover will be a set of four rovers designed to accomplish separate tasks. One will hold cubes carrying ArduSat and CubeSat payloads. Another will pick up and move the cubes using an arm. One will be a support robot designed to assist the other three rovers. Finally, one will use Bluetooth and cameras to capture and log video surveillance.

Objectives

• Make a rover that can operate on HERA missions
• Controlled by Bluetooth
• Multiple designs with different uses
• Transportation
  • Carries payload
• Manipulation
  • Has an arm
• Support
  • Assists other rovers
• Communications & Control
  • Camera and Bluetooth to record and send videos

Problem Statement

NASA requires four remotely operated specialized rovers capable of traversing Mars terrain. Each rover fulfills a unique role including payload transport, object manipulation, video recording, and mission support.

Criteria & Constraints

• Base landscape design
  • 25% scaled model of 8 ft × 8 ft landscape
  • Minimum 3 ft height of side walls
  • Foldable design
  • Easily assembled and disassembled

Specific Rovers

• Transportation
  • Carry a 10 cm³ cube
  • Support 0.5–1.0 lb
• Manipulation
  • Lifting arm
  • Precise movement
  • Transfer payload cubes
• Support
  • Assist other rovers
  • Carry extra batteries
  • Winch system
• Communications & Control
  • Bluetooth compatible
  • Video storage & transmission
  • Mission monitoring
  • Autonomous hive system
• Control System & Robotics
  • Arduino-based
  • Bluetooth-controlled

User Personas

The robots require intuitive controls and adaptability due to communication delays. They must execute instruction sets autonomously rather than step-by-step commands.

Designs must be collapsible and usable by operators wearing thick EVA gloves.