Sometimes I’m still dreaming to travel on Mars, but I know that it takes too much time for this, I cannot dare to think of money, and I know that there is not an airport with departures and arrivals. Till the day when my dream comes true, I have to take care of my robots and how they are built here, on the planet Earth.
The NASA exploration robots become an inspiration source for many makers and hackers. In the same area is an open-source robot engineered for planets exploration called M.A.R.S.
The M.A.R.S. robot is something different that was built before by makers’ community and had strong connections with Mars planet exploration.
The robot body was built with 3D printed components and aluminum tubes, which is an important detail especially for space robots. For several years, the engineers involved in space programs have in plan to introduce the 3D printing technology in exploration mission.
All the components used are affordable and available in almost any store with robotic parts, while the plastic components can be built at home using a simple 3D printer. The components list include the Raspberry Pi single board computer, a gyroscope sensor, webcams, six driven wheels, six continuous rotation servos, two 10Ah 5V battery packs, and many more other components to build a fully functional all-terrain robot.
The robot is engineered to work as an exploration robot for unveil terrain. Four of six wheels can steer and are adaptable enough to pass over almost any obstacle.
It’s interesting to see how space robots are built with cheap components and common technologies.
Project M.A.R.S. first steps
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