In the future, astronauts want to explore mars alone. However, due to safety concerns, a first aid robot must be available incase of accidents. An autonomous robot must be designed that can survive the harsh weathers of mars while delivering medicine to an astronaut in a given location reliably.
I designed the robot within a protective sphere which stopped sand eroding the hardware components (a problem seen on current mars rovers). The battery powering the robot was designed to be as low as possible, to ensure reduced rocking via a lower centre of gravity. Motors were placed in series and drove the wheel directle, avoiding the need for a gearbox. Wheels were secured onto the motors via a machined motor insert plate and grub scres. Wheels size was optimised for fast rotation within the ball to create agile movements in order to avoid obstacles.
The final prototype consisted of an Arduino autonomously communication with a laptop, through wi fi, awaiting commands. It can then collect medicine from a depository and, using aurco codes, triangulate its position and travel to the position of the injured patient.
