The Great Mojave Rover Project is to build an autonomous rover that I can live in the middle of the Mojave Desert and explore remotely from information received from Mission Control. The rover will use GPS for position and send back reference photos to create a 3D terrain of the rover’s area, as well as 360ยบ photos.
Initial Design Considerations:
- Utilizing existing JPL rover design for inspiration.
- Designed to be remotely controlled over the internet using a go-here approach.
- Cellular internet connection
- Mesh network if we desire to explore a canyon where cell signal may be weak or nonexistent.
- GPS, Temperature, Humidity, Compass, and gyro recording
- Photogrammetry to map terrain
- Tip alarm, to hopefully scare away aliens (wildlife)
- Solar battery for charging batteries
- 3D printed parts.
- Weatherproof
- Six wheel drive
- Slow and steady may not drive daily to allow for batteries’ recharge.
Technology Choices
- Raspberry Pi 4 model B for Mission Control
- Raspberry Pi Zero W for the rover
- AdaFruit trinket M0 for power management