mars rover base station group: 08 faculty advisor: dr. klink wei-ting chang, nathan haney, zak...
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Mars Rover Base Station
Group: 08Faculty Advisor: Dr. Klink
Wei-Ting Chang, Nathan Haney, Zak Hooper, James Hunsucker, Rylan Maynard, Chris Peyatt
West Virginia UniversityBenjamin M. Statler College of Engineering and Natural Resources
Problem Statement
The WVU Robotics team has plateaued in the last several years at 4th place in the RASC-AL Mars Rover competition. Much of the difficulty has come with the communications network that has been used. Our goal is to improve the communications capabilities by adding a stationary base station that will perform all communication needs.
West Virginia UniversityBenjamin M. Statler College of Engineering and Natural Resources
About the Competition
• NASA RASC-AL Exploration Robo-Ops held in Houston, TX
• Mars Rover Prototype – Travers & Collect “Space Rocks”
• Must be Piloted From Morgantown
• Height & Weight Constraints
• The Heaviest Teams Must Go First in the Competition, While Other Teams Can View the Run to Scout Out Scoring Opportunities
West Virginia UniversityBenjamin M. Statler College of Engineering and Natural Resources
WVU Performance History
• 2012: 4th Place Overall – Mechanical Failures
• 2013: 4th Place Overall – Communication Failures
West Virginia UniversityBenjamin M. Statler College of Engineering and Natural Resources
Our Base Station
• Stationary, Begins Beneath the Rover at Starting Location
• Includes 3G/4G Integrated Router, Omnidirectional Antenna, IP Network Camera
• Will Prevent Signal Loss Across Football Field Sized Competition Field
• Carbon Fiber Arm Extends 2 Meters After Rover Moves
• Handles All Data Compression (Lossy)
West Virginia UniversityBenjamin M. Statler College of Engineering and Natural Resources
Base Station Prototype
West Virginia UniversityBenjamin M. Statler College of Engineering and Natural Resources
User Interface
• UI to Provide All Video Feeds from Rover & Base Station
• Pilot has Options for Camera Functionality
• GPS Coordinates of Rocks Provided
• All Aspects & Nodes of Network Accessible through VPN
West Virginia UniversityBenjamin M. Statler College of Engineering and Natural Resources
Communications Network
• All Files Accessible Through Remote VPN
• Files can be Modified Mid-Run by Pilot
• Three Main Nodes: Rover, Pilot, Base Station
• Cellular Communications Links Based on Satellite Communications
West Virginia UniversityBenjamin M. Statler College of Engineering and Natural Resources
Satellite Communications Example (UAV)
West Virginia UniversityBenjamin M. Statler College of Engineering and Natural Resources
Use Cases
West Virginia UniversityBenjamin M. Statler College of Engineering and Natural Resources
Dataflow Diagram
West Virginia UniversityBenjamin M. Statler College of Engineering and Natural Resources
Major Technologies
• 3G/4G to Wifi Integration
• Network Video Streaming
• Remote VPN
• Microcontroller (Raspberry Pi)
• MPEG-4 Lossy Compression
West Virginia UniversityBenjamin M. Statler College of Engineering and Natural Resources
Procurement Plan
Component CostCradlePoint 3G/4G Industrial Router $700.00
14.8V LiPo Battery DonatedArduino Mega 2560 Board $65.00
Axis IP Dome Camera $450.00Pneumatic Cylinder $30.00Aluminum Casing DonatedCarbon-Fiber Rods $10.00
PING Sensor $12.00
Base Station Procurement Plan
West Virginia UniversityBenjamin M. Statler College of Engineering and Natural Resources
Creative Aspects
• Utilizing Cellular Data Plan
• Numerous Functions in a Small-Volume Container
• VPN Connectivity
• Microcontroller-Based
West Virginia UniversityBenjamin M. Statler College of Engineering and Natural Resources
Challenges
• Self-Imposed Weight Restriction of 5 kg
• Height, Length, & Width Restriction
• Dependent on Verizon Carrier
• Must Learn new Programming Languages & Skills
West Virginia UniversityBenjamin M. Statler College of Engineering and Natural Resources
Expected Outcomes
• Win the 2014 RASC-AL Competition
• Provide the Pilot with Numerous Options
• Stay Within 5kg limit
• Compress Video Feeds to Provide No-to-Minimal Lag
West Virginia UniversityBenjamin M. Statler College of Engineering and Natural Resources
Questions?