Mini Mars Rover

Mini Mars Rover

by | Gallery, Robots, Slider, Workshop Blog

Recently we were asked to build a miniature Mars Rover for a new space museum in the Czech Republic. Although the Mini Mars Rover is only about 8″ long, it is a functional robot, including an Arduino Nano microcontroller, a high-resolution wifi camera, an xbee radio for remote control, a Sabertooth motor controller, six motors, a rocker-bogie suspension system, and other components. We designed and machined most of the robot’s parts using our CNC Mill.

  • Mini Mars Rover – Top Rear View
    Mini Mars Rover – Top Rear View
  • Mini Mars Rover – Side View
    Mini Mars Rover – Side View
  • Mini Mars Rover – Top View
    Mini Mars Rover – Top View
  • Mini Mars Rover
    Mini Mars Rover
  • Mini Mars Rover – Rocker-Bogie Suspension System Close Up
    Mini Mars Rover – Rocker-Bogie Suspension System Close Up
  • Mini Mars Rover – Front View
    Mini Mars Rover – Front View
  • Mini Mars Rover – Rear View
    Mini Mars Rover – Rear View
  • Mars Rover Top Plate
    Mars Rover Top Plate immediately after it has been CNC machined but before the solar panels have been applied.
  • Front Arms with motor mounts
    Front Arms with motor mounts
  • Rear Arm
    Rear Arm
  • Mini Mars Rover Back Plate, Bottom Plate, Front Plate, and Side Plates. The newer version has a smaller hole for the camera.
Chassis for Mars Rover

Chassis for Mars Rover

by | Workshop Blog

We have been working hard on the rocker-bogie suspension system for the Spirit II, our Mars Rover. In this picture, the front wheel will be attached on the left side. The two back wheels will be attached on the right side. The two back wheels will be connected together by a tube that pivots on its center. The entire thing pivots on a central shaft (connected at the junction second from the left) that goes through the counter-rotating differential to an identical chassis frame on the other side of the robot. We are building the chassis frame out of .625 aluminum tube, tube connectors, and aluminum plate. It takes a bit of imagination at this point to visualize how this is going to become a Mars Rover, but it’s coming along. If it all actually works, we’ll be amazed.

Mars Rover Chassis – in process