''Space Rover to explore planets'', graduation project for students of navigation science at Beni Suef University
Media Center
A team of students from the Faculty of Navigation Sciences and Space Technology, under the patronage of Dr. Mansour Hassan, President of Beni Suef University, and under the supervision of Dr. Osama Shelbia, Dean of the Faculty, designed and implemented a "space rover" to explore planets using an autonomous navigation system. The rover's mission is to reach planets and environments that are difficult or impossible for humans to reach or survive in.
Dr. Mansour Hassan expressed his happiness with the level of excellence of his students from the Faculty of Navigation Sciences, which is celebrating its first graduation batch this year, and the research teams that were formed from students to prepare these unique projects, which are considered a real research nucleus for projects that will serve humanity in the future.
Dr. Osama Shelbia, Dean of the Faculty, added that the team includes 10 students: Abdelrahman Bassem Ali, Selim Al-Derini, Omar Khaled Ammar, Omar Abdelhakim Abdellah, Ahmed Mohamed Ahmed Ghalab, Ahmed Mamdouh Ibrahim, Baraa Mohamed Gabr, Mohamed Hatem Mohamed, Eman Ezzat El Sayed, Aya Eid Fikry, under the supervision of Dr. Khaled Youssef, Vice Dean of the Faculty for Graduate Studies, and Engineer Yousry Suleiman, Director of the Earth Stations Development Department at the Egyptian Space Agency.
The idea of the graduation project is to use a variety of sensors that are installed in it to be able to analyze the climate and conditions of those environments (such as determining the temperature, humidity, and monitoring any gases present, etc.), as well as to be able to take samples from the soil surface using the integrated robotic arm to examine and analyze it. After collecting information from the rover, it can be received at the ground station and displayed appropriately. A program that is programmed on the ground station is used to receive and process the information that has been collected or calculated by the rover. A mobile application that performs the same function has also been prepared, and thus it is possible to communicate with the rover, give commands, and receive information through the phone in the palm of the hand.
What enables the rover to perform its functions to the fullest is that it is equipped with six wheels that help it move efficiently, and it is equipped with a mechanical suspension system called "rocker-bogie". This system maintains the balance of the rover while moving on uneven and sloping surfaces, by keeping the wheels in contact with the ground, regardless of the slope of the terrain, which helps the rover to achieve superior performance in a variety of environments and terrains with different challenges. The rover derives its energy for movement and performance from lithium-ion batteries, which are the source of energy used in the absence of sunlight. When the sun's rays come, the rover relies on the solar cells mounted on it, which provide the necessary energy. Thanks to this mechanism, the energy needed for the rover to carry out its missions is secured in a continuous and efficient manner. The rover relies on an autonomous navigation system, where it can draw a map of the place around it, identifying the obstacles around it (such as hills, heights, slopes, rocks, etc.) and planning a path for it to move through, avoiding any obstacles on the road. This technique was possible using the LIDAR device, which emits laser beams in all directions. When the beams bounce off different surfaces, the speed of the bounce is used to determine the distance between the surfaces and obstacles from the rover. This technique enables the rover to move smoothly and avoid obstacles automatically and independently.