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The Mercury Rover Challenge
Design Brief:
Your sister’s best friend Carmen works for NASA and is charge of planning an expedition to Mercury in order to collect soil and rocks for scientists to analyze. One of her engineers just got promoted to a desk job, and she doesn’t have anyone who design the robot that will actually do the collecting. With deadlines fast approaching, she is looking for someone she can contract to take over the job. She has a sense of how talented your design team is, but she wants to see some of your ideas before she’s ready to offer your team a contract.
Design Features:
If you really want to impress Carmen (if you really want the job), your robot must be able to do the following:
- Move forward, backward, and side-to-side
- Maneuver itself over inclines and rough terrain
- Maintain balance so it does not tip over.
- Pick up rocks
- Scoop soil
- Function in a range of weather conditions on Mercury
Getting Started on Design:
Go to the Conexiones Web site. Look at what other people have created. Soon you’ll get a sense of the great potential of Lego Robotics. But other people’s ideas aren’t going to match all of Carmen’s requirements. So this is only a place to start.
http://conexiones.asu.edu/curriculum/roboticideas.html
Think About the Client:
Carmen’s a tough customer. She’ll be looking for something reliable and creative.
Brainstorming:
Look carefully at those design features (above) and start asking yourself some questions. For example, What is the terrain on Mercury? What are the mechanics involved in picking up objects? Make a list of questions and use the Internet to search for answers. But don’t get lost you’re surfing the Web. Start with key words that relate to your questions, for example "Mercury planet surface." Search the Web until all your questions are answered. And make sure that your questions cover all of those design features.
While you’re doing your Web searches, think ahead to the presentations you’ll be giving.
Sell the Idea:
Selling the idea is part of the design challenge. Carmen’s not going to hire you if she can’t she doesn’t understand your ideas. And remember, she’ll be evaluating whether you can make your ideas clear to a lot of people who will be involved in the Mercury expedition.
You’ll create a project Web site to get your ideas across. These are the things you must include on your project Web site:
- Describe the design challenge.
- Describe your research (the questions you came up with while brainstorming a and the answers you found on the Internet).
- Describe how the mechanics of Carmen’s Mercury navigator satisfy those design challenges.
- Include plenty of details about those mechanics. Remember, if other people can’t understand it, then Carmen’s not goingto offer you that contract.
- What are the necessary mechanics for moving over the terrain?
- What are the mechanics of a robotic arm?
Be sure to include interesting facts about Mercury:
What is the surface of Mercury like?
What is its temperature? Does it vary?
Does it have any moons? If so, how many?
Is there any light on Mercury?
What is its distance from the Sun? from Earth?
What is the closest planet?
What challenges did you come across while designing and programming the Mercury rover?
What research information helped you design and build the Mercury rover?
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