Open Source Rover

10 Aug 2019 in Robots

Thanks to NASA & Github, we have a way to (kind of) recreate the Mars 2020 rover in our own backyard. This means we can create another branch of robots - the ones inspired by space probes and rovers. All branches can be controlled in Stellarios (see this post on how releases work).

According to NASA, the Open Source Rover is

“The JPL Open Source Rover is an open source, build it yourself, scaled down version of the 6 wheel rover design that JPL uses to explore the surface of Mars. The Open Source Rover is designed almost entirely out of consumer off the shelf (COTS) parts. This project is intended to be a teaching and learning experience for those who want to get involved in mechanical engineering, software, electronics, or robotics.”

void Screen::display_state(){
  if (state == RUNNING){
    RGBmatrixPanel::drawPixel(STATE[0], STATE[1], RGBmatrixPanel::Color444(GREEN));        
  }
  else if (state == IDLE){
    RGBmatrixPanel::drawPixel(STATE[0], STATE[1], RGBmatrixPanel::Color444(RED));
  } else if (state == 0x00){
    RGBmatrixPanel::drawPixel(STATE[0], STATE[1], RGBmatrixPanel::Color444(WHITE));
  }
}

• A sample of the code that the OSR runs on

The Open Source Rover will run on a Raspberry Pi and be built out of “consumer, off-the-shelf” parts.

Technical Attributes of the Rover

From Github/NASA-JPL/Open-Source-Rover

Weight	25 [lbs]	11.34[kg]
Footprint	24x14 [in]	60.96x30.48 [cm]
Battery Capacity	5200 [mAh]	5200 [mAh]
Battery Discharge Rate	8 [A]	8 [A]
Nominal Current Draw	1.2 [A]	1.2 [A]
Operating time	5 [hrs] (continual use)	5 [hrs] (continual use)
Approximate Max speed	9.7 [in/s]	24.6 [cm/s]
Maximum 90 deg vertical scale	12 [in]	30.48 [cm]
Maximum height differential between sides	14 [in]	35.56 [cm]
Communication (in this guide)	Bluetooth app (Android only) and Xbox Controller
Cost	~ $2,500

Notes

• Cost is in US Dollars
• We are using metric measurements
• We will probably use an Android app, maybe with the Arduino Esplora we acquired

• We’ve forked this repo to Github/Acord-Robotics/Open-Source-Rover

• We can change the parts, however by changing the parts we may improve one thing but compromise another -

“One potential change is for the motors; you can, for example, select higher RPM motors (to drive your rover faster) at the sacrifice of max stall torque, which would potentially limit your rover’s ability to climb” (from the Project’s Readme)

• We can use our Arduino Esplora Board to communicate with the Raspberry Pi - as the board has a joystick and buttons, so it is sort of a mini-controller

• There is a Tapatalk Forum - Landing Site

• The partslist is located here & on the ACORD forums - you need to log in to view the ACORD forums. Join ACORD!

Stellarios

Stellarios is the official operating system and app of ACORD. Stellarios will be designed to work on MacOS & Windows devices, and there will be apps created for Android, iOS & Linux devices. Stellarios is going to be a bundle of applications that will be used by ACORD Corporation members to perform certain operations.