High-Level Project Summary
We developed two main products through this challenge.The first one is a wheel for the Mars rover that could be constructed on a small metal 3D printer, using a special interlocking method of assembling a number of diagonally cut nails on the sides of each of the 52 separate parts to overcome this desperate equipment shortage.The second one is "Magical Stick" and its attachments, which can be converted into a number of different ones to solve any problem. The handle component is sealed and the exterior is constructed of thermos bottles so that the built-in battery and motor can be safely used even in the harsh Martian environment. Of course, you can use it without fear of flooding.
Link to Final Project
Link to Project "Demo"
Detailed Project Description
The overall goal for this challenge is to develop and design tools, and other items that might be needed to survive a one-year mission on mars. In a situation like this, the material is valuable and one item needs to perform lots of different tasks.
One of the benefits of using our Magical stick is that we can use it in a variety of ways by replacing the attachment. For example, if we replace the attachment with screw bits, it can be used as an electrified screwdriver. Another use would be a hand mixer that can be used for cooking. The Magical stick can perform different tasks and this will significantly reduce the number of tools that need to be brought to mars.
The Magical stick’s case is hermetically sealed and pressurized to prevent the dust to goes inside. In addition to that, it can prevent overheating. Because of this design, the motor transmits the torque to the attachment by two magnets located inside the stick. Since the power is transmitted by magnetic force, no parts of the drive unit are exposed to the outside and it functions properly even in harsh environments.
Because of the simplicity of the design, the case can be easily manufactured by the plastic 3d printer even on the surface of mars. The assembly is fairly simple and straightforward. The attachments can be fixed by a clicking mechanism that is built into the stick so that attachments don’t fall off the stick. In the case of heavy-duty, two fasteners can be installed to increase the durability of the Magical stick.
The Magical stick consists of three simple electronic components: a brushless DC motor, a motor driver, and a battery. The motor is powered by a 1700mAh battery which is capable of providing 7.2V of electricity, and the motor is driven by a motor driver. Those electronic components will be brought from the earth.
For the rover’s wheel design, the wheels are consists of 52 parts that are held by a special interlocking method similar to a puzzle. Because of the small, diagonally cut nails on the sides, it can hold it in place without using many fasteners. Each part is designed to be small so that it is printable by a specified metal 3d printer. The materials should be strong metals such as Aluminium or Titanium. The Magical stick with drill bits can be utilized to facilitate the replacement process.
For this project, hardware design was one of the biggest tasks, and the team utilized drawing software and Solidworks to visualize our ideas. In addition to Solidworks, we used Onshape which is the web-based CAD software with real-time sharing capabilities.
Space Agency Data
We first learned about the wheel damage on the Curiosity rover from the website below. We also got information about the side of the wheel.
Break in Raised Tread on Curiosity Wheel, March 21, 2017
https://mars.nasa.gov/resources/8313/break-in-raised-tread-on-curiosity-wheel/?site=msl
Secondly, when we were doing the research on the tools we need to bring from the earth, the following documentation was used to increase our knowledge.
Space Tools for Servicing, Repairing, and Maintaining Spacecraft:
Authors: Trevino, Robert C.
(NASA Johnson Space Center Houston, TX, United States)
Publication Date: February 2, 2002
Hackathon Journey
We learned about the difficulties of preparing for the living environment on a Mars expedition. We investigated the harsh environment on Mars, which is far from Earth's atmosphere, temperature, dust, and living conditions at the exploration base.
We wanted to develop tools to help people live in a harsh environment. It is not easy to fix tools on mars when it's broken. So we thought it is important to reuse tools in a variety of ways.
To solve that problem, we have developed a stick that transmits power only by magnetic force to cope with different atmospheres, temperatures, and environments from those of the earth.
It was difficult to research what is needed in the harsh environment of a Mars expedition.
Assuming an emergency landing on Mars as the theme of the project, we presented the problems that would occur from both the technological and living aspects. Based on this, we selected the most important issues.
Consequently, we were able to expand our knowledge of engineering far beyond.
One of the biggest technical difficulties for us is sharing the CAD files within the team. We encountered some format errors during the hackathon. However, we were able to resolve the issue by assembling the model only using one computer.
References
Documentations：
・Break in Raised Tread on Curiosity Wheel, March 21, 2017
https://mars.nasa.gov/resources/8313/break-in-raised-tread-on-curiosity-wheel/?site=msl
・Space Tools for Servicing, Repairing, and Maintaining Spacecraft:
Authors: Trevino, Robert C.
(NASA Johnson Space Center Houston, TX, United States)
Publication Date: February 2, 2002
Softwares：
・Solid Works
・Onshape
・Miro
・Google Spreadsheet
・Google Slides
Tags
#hardware, #rover, #wheel, #CAD, #Modeling, #Curiosity, #Mars, #NASA, #Perseverance, #Solidworks, #Onshape, #Miro