Archive: February 2023

As the weight of the rover increases, the metal "U"-shaped brackets that act as an in-wheel suspension system started deforming. In the picture shown below (where the contrast has been reduce for a better understanding), on the left-hand, the rover side is tremendously leaned on the wheel and the reached angle increases stress on the 3D-printed plastic (red line). On the right-hand side of the image, however, the rover weight is more evenly distributed on the wheel (green line), resulting in an almost horizontal inclination angle if compared to the terrain (blue lines). This is achieved by doubling the "U"-shaped brackets inside the wheel. The principle of suspension embedded inside the wheel remained the same, but the maximum possible load per single wheel is significantly increased.

• [Hours of work: 8]
• [People involved: Giorgio]

Due to the high amount of cables that connect the motors with the motor drivers, the Raspberry Pi and the sensors, making custom wire connectors became a point of major concern. Without well-done cable management, working on the final phases of the assembly might result unreasonably difficult. Some cables have to go from the outside to the inside of the rover: to avoid dust and debris going into the WEB or interfering with the electrical connections, all cables have been shielded and custom connectors were attached, obtaining a delicate but well-functioning modular network of wire connections. The wiring process is planned to be a 2-week process.

• [Hours of work: 3]
• [People involved: Giorgio]

After partially disassembling the rover for the journey from Bainfield to Merchiston, it was decided to test all the components to ensure no parts have been damaged during the transfer. This was also a great occasion to test the computer vision algorithm for the first time, in an open-space environment: the lab is large enough to allow drive tests, which will be conducted in the following weeks. At the current state of things, the motors are still not wired and the only fully functional component is the Mast Tower. The "Green Lines algorithm" has been tested using a cardboard box as a rock. For the test, Mimas was placed on custom-made metal perches that keep the rover at the right height even without wheels.

• [Hours of work: 2]
• [People involved: Giorgio, Akshit]

On the 8th of February 2023, Mimas was moved from Bainfield Student Accommodation to Merchiston Campus, room D66. Thanks to Brian Davison, Alexandros Gkanatsios and Stuart Thomas, we got access to a brand-new laboratory to work on the rover! The lab has a workstation for soldering, whiteboard tables for sketching (and, most importantly, a lot of convenient electric plugs!). It took several hours to pack Mimas, ensuring she is safe during the journey from Bainfield to Merchiston, and when the rover arrived at its destination, the help from the ENU Formula Student team was invaluable. Mimas will stay in D66 for 8 weeks and during this relatively short period of time, it will undergo several changes, wiring, and drive testing. As the Honours Project report submission day gets closer and closer, the construction of the rover becomes more challenging.

• [Hours of work: 6]
• [People involved: Giorgio, Akshit, w/ENU Formula Student team]