︎ROVER PROJECT

automated rover that removes accumulated snow
*work in progress

The UChicago Main Quad is over 100 years old, and during cold Chicago winters, one snow storm can completely cover the paths. Then, the snow will either freeze, making the paths extremely slippery, or melt into puddles of muddy water. As a part of the UChicago Robotics team, we set out to make an automated, driverless rover that walks around the quad sprinkling ice melters on the pathways. We are planning to participate in the University Rover Challenge with our project.

︎MY ROLE
Mechanical Engineer

︎COLLABORATORS
UChicago Robotics RSO

︎SKILLS
Prototyping
3D Printing
CAD
Material Selection

︎QUESTIONS

How do we design the chassis so that it is the most durable and cost efficient?
How do we design the disk spinner to constrain the salt distribution angle and amount?
How do we program the rover to avoid obstacles, especially students walking by?

︎LEARNING CAD & 3D PRINTING
I had never done CAD or 3D printing before joining this project. So I took a 30-day Fusion 360 tutorial on YouTube to gain the skills that I needed. During the length of this course, I practiced making small objects such as a hex nut, a light bulb, a spiral helix, screw driver, a hinged box, and much more.

︎PROTOTYPING

Chassis base

Salt disk (modified from a disk on Thingiverse)

︎FINAL DESIGN We are currently working on the final design. Check back in a few months to see the finished product!

Salt-chassis integration system