I’ve Helped Make Rovers
While at RIT I worked in a group to create a metal detecting rover. We thought it would be useful for finding lost valuables.
To be honest, it wasn’t great at that. What it was great at was being an incredible experience that really solidified for me the kind of things I love working with - the places where mechanical engineering and electronics connect.
We didn’t end up finding any treasure, but I’d say what we achieved along the way was reward enough.
Suspension FEA
The rover made use of “bogey rails” for suspension, which allowed us to avoid using traditional and more complicated spring based mechanisms.
We tested it on a variety of different terrains, including the forest floor, the beach, lawns, gravel pathways, rocky landscape, and others.
Terrain Testing
Electronic Integration
The internal electrical components ran off of an Arduino Uno, and sensory components consisted of several ultrasonic components in addition to the electromagnetic coil.