Hi there!

We are happy to announce the release of our open source rover powered by ROS and a Raspberry Pi.

Project Website

We are working in the Planetary Robotics Laboratory of the European Space Agency and developed ExoMy for enthusiasts and educational use. The rover is completely 3D-printed and uses of-the-shelve components so it can easily be built. It features a complete set of building instructions in our Wiki.

Components

All structural parts of ExoMy are 3D-printed. The Wiki describes how to download the required files and gives print and build instructions. The robot features a triple-bogie suspension system inspired by the European Mars Rover Rosalind Franklin.

The system requires 12 motors (6 for driving and 6 for steering) and allows the rover to overcome obstacles as big as its wheel size. The motors are controlled by a Raspberry Pi with a PWM Hat, running the Raspberry Pi OS. The actual control software is written in Python, using the robotic framework ROS, that runs in a Ubuntu Docker container.

Features of the Rover

Using a custom web interface or a gamepad, it is possible to teleoperate the rover in three modes (crabbing, ackermann and spot turn). The rover has a triple-bogie locomotion subsystem which allows it to overcome obstacles as big as it’s wheels.

The camera can be used for the teleoperation and in future work for computer vision.

Let us know what you think and get involved in our social media channels:

Discord: Join the Community!

Twitter: @ExoMy_Rover

Instagram: @ExoMy_Rover