GRASS

Ground exploration robots development

The GRound Autonomous Student Station (GRASS) has as its objective to get students acquainted to spacial robotics through the design and development of an autonomous rover with features such as terrain recognition, sample retrieving, and obstacle evasion and movement.

The mission is multidisciplinar, with members ranging from aerospace engineering to industrial and electrical engineering, with all its systems developed by mission members in collaboration with external businesses like HP and its MultiJet Fusion.

The mission started in 2017 with the construction of mechanical parts and a first iteration of the electronics and engines, but due to the mission members finishing their studies, the mission was stopped.

Missions

GRASS v1

(2017)

Big sized radio-controlled rover, using the leftover materials from the 2017 mission, with additional structures printed with additive manufacturing using the association’s 3D printers. Its objective is the development of adaptable technologies to use on the UAV Challenge rover, and the design of both a robotic arm for sampling returns, and a LIDAR system to perform terrain recognition. Its long-term objectives are autonomous movement and artificial vision.

Little GRASS

(UAV Challenge 2021)

Rover constructed from scratch following directives and requirements of the competition, principally size and weight. It is also radio-controlled, but it requires communication between the rover and base camp at much longer ranges. It also requires image and sound capture.