TerraROVER Manufacturing Scale-UP

Problem Description

As part of my senior capstone project, I worked on a project for AEROKATS and ROVER Education Network (AREN), a NASA GLOBE program. Their mission is to develop the next generation of scientists and engineers by providing low-cost technologies to education settings for all ages and socioeconomic backgrounds. One technology they use in this program is the TerraROVER, a rover used to collect and analyze surface temperature data. My team was tasked with redesigning the TerraROVER to design it better for a manufacturable scale-up, while maintaining functionality and kid-friendliness.

Problem and Initial Design

AREN's initial design for the TerraROVER consisted of many complex, 3D-printed parts, with wires secured to the chassis and components using zip ties. The design consists of three main decks, six wheels, six motors, a camera, battery. Most of the components are 3D-printed, which is a very time-consuming manufacturing process, and the number of parts and complexity of assembly made it difficult to produce more.  Between the time to 3D-print and assembly, the total manufacturing time was almost 13 hours, creating a bottleneck for scaling up production.

Design Changes

Deck: The deck in the initial design was made of three 3D-printed parts, which took 7.5 hours to print. I redesigned this to be one laser cut part, which takes a little over a minute to cut. This design also engraved the mounting places for each component, allowing for clarity when assembling.

Motor Mount: The deck in the initial design had the motor mounts printed on it, so there was no way to mount the motors with the new deck. I designed the motor mount to be a simple, 3D-printed component, mounted by M5 screws. The first design was a snap fit, which allowed for easy assembly but created a cantilever effect on the deck, causing instability. The design was then changed to be mounted by M3 screws, but this was changed as well to allow for ease of assembly with larger screws.

Sensor Branch: The sensor branch was initially a 3D-printed arm with a dowel connected to it, which held the sensors. The 3D-printed part was time-consuming to print, so I redesigned the part to a simple mount that held the dowel. This decreased the time to print the part, while retaining functionality.

Box: The initial design did not have a box to contain the electronics, but we wanted to protect the electronics and manage the wiring. Because the initial design with managing and securing the wires with zip ties was time-consuming, the new box allowed for easier and quicker assembly. The box was also made of clear acrylic, allowing for students to still see the electronic components, creating opportunity for further learning.

Conclusions

In the end, the new TerraROVER was a kit, manufactured and assembled in a quarter of the time. Because of the kit, it increased functionality, allowing students to gain access to engineering concepts as they now get to build the TerraROVER themselves. Because of the decreased manufacturing time, the TerraROVER can reach more schools and students, while teaching students about more concepts than before.

This project helped me learn how to coordinate with multiple teams, as I had to discuss with my team of peers, BU faculty, and the AREN team. I also learned how to evaluate a current design and assess issues or places for improvement, discuss possible solutions, and evaluate the best solution based on customer priorities. 

Skills

Technical/Engineering

  • Mechanical design and prototyping
  • Design for manufacturing (DFM)
  • 3D printing
  • Laser cutting

Hardware and Embedded Systems

  • Embedded systems (Arduino)
  • Sensor integration (IMU, ultrasonic, cameras)

Collaboration and Leadership

  • Cross-functional collaboration
  • Stakeholder communication
  • Leadership and project ownership

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