Queen's University Students Compete in NASA Lunabotics Competition

A team of 10 engineering students from Queen's University Belfast (QUB) is set to compete in NASA's international 'Lunabotics' competition in Florida. The competition challenges university teams to design, build, and operate a lunar robot using NASA's systems engineering process. The QUB team's robot is designed to excavate lunar material, navigate obstacles, and construct a wall from the collected material.

The students qualified for the event after winning a prior competition. They will face university teams from Australia, India, and the United States at the University of Central Florida. "It's a great feeling" to have earned a spot in the competition, according to Jack Fitzpatrick, a PhD student in mechanical engineering.

The robot, a 52 kg aluminum-frame rover, was developed by three specialized groups within the team: software, electronics, and mechanical. Jamie Smith, the software team lead and an electrical and electronic engineering student, explained that their primary role was to control the rover and implement its autonomous capabilities. The team also created rover simulations to test their software before deploying it on the physical robot.

Fitzpatrick, part of the mechanical team, focused on ensuring the robot's physical integrity and ability to function in a simulated lunar environment. "We analyze that something is physically strong enough, it's well built enough to survive this environment, it's going to have the traction to drive in this environment," he stated.

Smith noted that the team designed the rover to autonomously navigate a simulated lunar room, identify an excavation point, collect lunar-simulant sand, and deposit it elsewhere. This process aims to mimic the tasks real rovers would perform on the Moon, enabling the construction of habitats for future human missions.

Representing Northern Ireland, the UK, and Europe, the QUB team is the sole European participant. "It's just a great opportunity to represent Northern Ireland, the UK and really Europe abroad as we are the only European team that will be there," Fitzpatrick said.

While the team is proud of their achievement, they acknowledge the high level of international competition. "We may not win the competition this year but we're building a base upon which we can improve year on year and maybe come back in a few years and really come through with a winning design," Fitzpatrick added.

Caolán Boyle, Head of Robotics at QPL, expressed pride in the team's efforts, noting that "hundreds of hours have gone into making the rover mission ready for the event."