Make to Innovate (M:2:I)
Toggle Menu

Mars Analog Vehicle for Robotic Inspection and Construction (MAVRIC)

PROJECT MISSION

MAVRIC is an analog Mars rover team focused on building the next generation of Mars rovers. Students on the team gain valuable engineering skills and become familiar with the design, manufacture, and testing stages of engineering projects. Each semester, we strive to improve our rover’s competition performance with creative and reliable designs. This semester, MAVRIC is taking time to expand our software capabilities with a full ROS migration and analyzing what components we should keep or upgrade to best improve our performance for the URC. Our goal is to compete in the University Rover Challenge (URC) for Summer 2026.

MAVRIC Members

Project Goals

  • Much of MAVRIC’s project’s goals follow the functional requirements on the URC’s website. MAVRIC’s primary goal is to produce robust and effective sub-systems for the University Rover Challenge. The ways we plan to expand upon current implementations this semester and onward include the following:
  • Systems:
  • – Full ROS 2 Migration to an in-life distribution of ROS. 
  • – Integrating new moisture sensors to provide better diagnostics for finding appropriate drill sites during the Science mission.
  • – Integrating a differential GPS system to bolster autonomous accuracy for the autonomous navigation system.
  • – Installing and configuring a larger network switch system to allow for more IP camera connections.
  • Mechanical:
  • – Production and integration of a new wrist sleeve to reinforce the wrist shaft, limiting the chances of any warping or damage during competition. 
  • – Production and integration of two G10 Fiberglass suspension members to ensure stable and durable legs.
  • – Redesigning and testing of a new Science System.

Project Deliverables

For this semester, MAVRIC’s three deliverables are:

  1. 1. Chassis Build Documentation – The Chassis Build Documentation is meant to ease the future onboarding of all MAVRIC members by detailing the attachment and detachment of significant systems on the rover. Systems include the bogie members, the wheels, the arm, the mast, and E-Box hinges.

2. ROS 2 Drivetrain: Forward & Backward

3. MAVRIC Closure Report

Next Steps

  1. The team is currently preparing to compete in the University Rover Challenge that will occur next summer in 2026.