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The Rizz Rover
"The Rizz Rover (RR)
Overview: What tasks will the robot do?
The rover is designed to mine metal samples from the moon
What challenges/opportunities is your robot tackling?
The moon has an abundance of metal deposits, the rover collects these so they can be researched back on earth
What sensors will the robot use to help it carry on its tasks?
The rover will mainly use 3 sensors which are: ultrasound, infrared, and a metal detector.
Details on each of these sensors and their uses can be found in the components detail section below.
What decisions will the AI make to help the robot?
The A.I. mainly aids the rover with navigating, detecting obstacles in its path and searching for metal deposits in the immediate vicinity
What actions does the robot do when it makes those decisions?
When an obstruction is detected by the A.I., the rover will navigate around it. When a metal deposit is found, the rover will drill down to it and add it to its storage compartment
What is your AI robot's name?
The Rizz Rover, as shown at the top
Tinker-cad model of the rover for better viewing: https://www.tinkercad.com/things/5dA16ud8FsJ-rizz-rover/edit?sharecode=2xYzjx0_RdgGG47JHyBfoCivZYLbH5RLxPKQmtSZvfs
The Rizz Rover is a solar powered rover whose main function is to mine and collect samples, specifically metals from the moon. In order to navigate to and track down metal deposits, it is equipped with three different sensors: (metal detector, infrared, ultrasound). Extracting samples with a drill and two fingered claws, it stores them in a specialized vacuum sealed storage compartment, that easily connects to a ship via vacuum tube for transportation. Mounted on the top of the rover is a satellite and camera that allow communication and data transmission with the Lunar Gateway and earth, along with solar panels that act as the rover’s main energy source. For transportation, the four wheels on the bottom of the rover are connected to a suspension system and have specially formed tires that allow superior control on a variety of spaces. Overall, the rover’s design is tailored to maximize efficiency and effectiveness when mining and collecting samples on the moon, with its features ensuring its functionality and reliability. Small in size, it remains compact and agile.
Component Details:
Body: The body is sturdy and durable, able to withstand the conditions of the moon's surface. We choose carbon fiber as the primary body material, as it is strong while still remaining light weight. In order to maximize visibility of the rover on the lunar surface, it is entirely painted a bright orange.
Sensors: A metal detector is attached to an arm at the front of the rover, in order to locate metal deposits on the moon that can be collected as samples for analysis back on the Lunar Gateway/earth. In order for the rover to remain autonomous in navigating the surface of the moon, we have 2 sensors, infrared and ultrasound, that detect any obstructions to prevent collisions during lunar traversal. Using the two sensors in tandem for navigation provides higher consistency and reliability than using just one would provide. The infrared is located at the bottom of the rover, with its thermal sensing capabilities providing additional uses beyond the scope of navigation (I.e., potentially collecting data on temperatures on the moon). The ultrasound is located at the front of the rover, with it being the main one used for navigation with its comparably higher detection range.
Drill: The steel drill is located at the front of the rover and is hinged to freely rotate up and down to dig for metal deposits.
Inner Storage Compartment: The inner storage compartment makes up the main body of the rover and has 2 main access points on the top and at the back. The access points to the compartment are vacuum-sealed and can open on command. The compartment itself is temperature regulated and padded in order to protect any samples that would be kept within. A module hole at the back of the rover connects to this compartment and is designed to be connected to a vacuum-sealed tube that would connect to a spaceship for easy and safe transport of samples. Finally, a scale within the compartment measures the amount of material currently held within the rover in order for it to detect if it is at max capacity.
Power Source: The main power-supply of the rover, in the form of two solar panels attached to the top. A dual-axis solar tracking system allows the panels to capture light at all angles, maximizing the amount of solar energy collected. As a backup energy source to be used in emergencies, our rover is equipped with a multi-mission radioisotope thermoelectric generator (MMRTG for short), a type of generator that uses power that has been successful on past moon missions since 1977. The generator works by converting naturally decaying radioisotope plutonium-238 to electricity with thermoelectric couples. This type of energy generation does not rely on the sun, making it perfect as a backup power source for our mainly solar powered rover.
Satellite: The satellite is located on top of the rover and is used to communicate with earth and the lunar gateway, transmitting and receiving data.
Camera: The camera on top of the rover can be spun 360 degrees and moved up and down, allowing for complete monitoring of the rover’s surroundings. The rover itself is equipped with a large memory system to store camera footage along with other data.
Two Claws: Two steel four fingered claws are located at each side of the rover. For optimal handling of samples, the claws are designed to be precise and flexible.
Wheels: For movement, the rover has four wheels with specially formed tires connected to a suspension system, allowing it to easily traverse a variety of lunar surfaces.
A.I. Details: The A.I. of the rover is mainly used for navigation. Unless any coordinates are specifically provided by the lunar gateway/earth, the A.I. of the rover will navigate around the moon until it detects a nearby metal deposit with its metal detector. During navigation, the rover will use ultrasonic and infrared sensors to detect and avoid any obstructions in its path. When the rover gets within a certain distance relative to the position of the metal deposit, it will begin drilling down, and then when it sees the deposit with its camera it will remove it and place it to the inner storage compartment, before returning to navigating to a new sample. When the rover’s capacity of the inner storage compartment is full, it will accordingly send a signal to the lunar gateway and navigate to a pre-designated drop off point. "