Building a terrestrial rover to explore the ecosystem, part 1

Añadido: 2026-05-25

[00:00:00]The Rover's frame is made of 2020 aluminum V-slot profiles. The frame can be easily unscrewed, reconfigured, or expanded. The parts are 100% salvageable for future builds. It's one of the most affordable profile sizes, drastically lowering the initial cost for prototyping.

[00:00:21]In addition to the wide range of accessories for the profiles, various custom-made laser-cut aluminum parts are used. Laser cutting has become very affordable these days.

[00:00:44]The Rover is designed as a classic four-wheel drive vehicle. The planetary gear motors rotate at a maximum of 53 RPM and are equipped with encoders.

[00:01:09]The wheels are from Cebu City and are called Wasteland Wheels. A tough plastic core is surrounded by a treaded rubber structure filled with airless non-pneumatic tire cells that squish around uneven terrain without missing a beat. The airless tire is molded directly onto the wheel.

[00:01:26]Here you can already see a part of the rocker-bogie suspension system.

[00:01:32]It was invented by NASA engineer Donald B. Bickler in 1988 for the use on the Mars Rover Sojourner.

[00:01:43]To complete the rocker-bogie system, additional laser-cut parts and hardware are required.

[00:02:17]>> I also designed the motor drive system, the battery management, and the RC electronics to be modular.

[00:03:22]For the camera pan tilt unit, I use bus servos. Unlike standard PWM servos that operate blindly in one direction, bus servos can send real-time data such as position, load, voltage, current, and temperature back to the controller.

[00:03:38]With 4,096 steps per revolution, they ensure ultra-smooth and highly accurate movements.

[00:03:45]Instead of running a dedicated signal line from the controller to every single motor, bus servos allow you to connect multiple motors in a single chain using only three wires.

[00:06:25]>> And after months of construction, the Rover is finally ready for its first test drive on rough terrain.

[00:06:42]>> [music] [music] [music] >> On the >> [music] >> dark side like I'm >> [music] >> in a dream.

[00:07:20]>> [music] [music] [music] >> On the dark side >> Follow me.

[00:07:45]Like I'm in a dream.

[00:07:46]>> [music] >> In [music] my dream.

[00:08:02]In [music] my dream.

[00:08:10]In my >> [music] >> dream.

[00:08:18]In my >> [music] >> dream.

[00:08:39]>> [music] [music] [music] >> Fly.

[00:09:09]>> [music] [music] [music] [music] >> Fly.

[00:09:33]>> [music] >> Fly through.

[00:09:41]night.

[00:09:44]>> [music] >> Fly, fly through the >> [music] >> night.

[00:10:03]>> [music] [music]