UNAM students design robot to explore Mars

A group of students of the Department for Research in Applied Mathematics and Systems at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) are designing an autonomous robot to simulate an exploration and the sample collection on Mars surface.

The team called UNAM Space will participate with this project in the international competition Sample Return Robot Challenge, hosted by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI).

This robot is made of aluminum due to the characteristics of malleability, strength and lightness; it also has steel, plastic, and rubber parts, and its task is to move autonomously to locate, collect and separate samples of different sizes and weights.

In an interview with the News Agency of the National Council for Science and Technology (CONACYT), the creators emphasize that the mechanical, electrical and electronic design is an original project made by them.