A Mars rover designed and constructed by a group of youngsters at the Cochin University of Science and Technology (Cusat) will be showcased at the world finals of the European Rover Challenge 2023 to be held at Kielce, Poland, on September 15.
Named ‘Team Horizon’, the 38-member interdisciplinary group having a shared passion for robotics and exploration figured among the 25 finalists from across the globe that had qualified for the finals. As the only team from Kerala to qualify for the final round, the students of various engineering streams had won a world ranking of 21. Students from across the world will compete for the title of the best rover construction at the event to be held at the Kielce University of Technology.
“We have to perform four tasks including navigation, science, maintenance, and presentation at the on-site finals in Poland. Our rover is named Phoenix, and it consists of six-wheel rocker-bogie suspension, with four-wheel independent steering,” said Muhammed Siyad P., team lead and student of Computer Science Engineering.
The student teams have to prepare a fully functional Mars rover of their design in the final round. The rover has to be a standalone mobile platform. Mr. Siyad said they required around ₹5 lakh for the rover construction. “We have received help from the university authorities and the alumni. Kerala Startup Mission, Makergram community, and Thinker Space are providing technical and design support. We are actively seeking help to support our travel to Poland,” he said.
