URC - 2022/2023 WVU Team Mountaineers
Team Mountaineers 2023
WHAT IS URC?
The University Rover Challenge (URC) is the world's premier robotics competition for college students. Held annually in the desert of southern Utah in the United States, URC challenges student teams to design and build the next generation of Mars rovers that will one day work alongside astronauts exploring the Red Planet.
URC was launched in 2006, with competitions being held every summer since 2007. URC consistently draws an international field of the most talented and promising students around.
I have been part of URC since 2022. URC is a senior capstone and tech elective class at WVU. Learning the design process helped developed the steps taken in designing this year's rover "Wander". Working as the Science sub-team coordinator I have led the team to design a soil-collecting system using a system of scoops, linear actuators, and peristaltic pumps to transport samples into a centrifuge to perform spectrometry. In the mechanical subteam, I helped manufacture composite wheels and experiment with different materials, geometry, and coating.
TEam Mountaineer 1st place!
At the International competition in Utah, Team Mountaineers placed 1st overall for the 2023 University Rovers Challenge!