HONOLULU — Team Robotic Space Exploration – Team RoSE – will be heading to Utah in late May to compete in the University Rover Challenge, the world’s premier robotics competition for college students. The team of undergraduate students from the University of Hawaii at Manoa is one step closer to getting their robotic rover on Mars.
“The team was in awe of the results, but is greatly motivated to improve upon our designs to be prepared for competition in Utah,” said lead systems integrator and mechanical engineering student Jack Saito in a UH news release. “With less than 60 days left, the team is hoping to guarantee the success of our systems and eliminate any risks with thorough and persistent testing.”
The University Rover Challenge invites teams to design and build the next generation of Mars rovers that could one day work alongside astronauts exploring the Red Planet.
Over 100 teams entered the competition. Team RoSE is one of 38 teams from 10 countries selected to participate in the final round being held May 29 to June 1 at the Mars Desert Research Station in Utah. Usually just the top 36 teams qualify for the event, but judges expanded the field to 38 because of the incredibly competitive scores.
“The entire team was ecstatic with the results knowing all the hard work and dedication had paid off, including all members from the past three years,” said project manager and mechanical engineering students Micah Chang. “It’s a great privilege for Team RoSE to participate in this magnificent event, and the team is excited for this opportunity to interact with peers and professionals from around the globe.”
Rovers from each team will compete in four missions:
- Science mission to investigate a site for the presence of life
- Mission to deliver a variety of objects to astronauts in the field across rugged terrain
- Equipment servicing mission to perform dexterous operations on a mock lander using a robotic arm
- Navigation mission to autonomously travel to various locations
“I’m so incredibly proud and impressed by the achievements of this highly motivated group of students,” said Frances Zhu, Hawaii Institute of Geophysics and Planetology assistant researcher and team advisor. “This undergraduate team formed just three years ago during the pandemic and now they are competing on the international stage.”
Trevor Sorenson, Hawaii Space Flight Laboratory specialist/project manager and team advisor, stated, “This is the third time our UH Manoa team has entered this very prestigious competition and the first time they were selected. Their teamwork and engineering skills are very impressive, and I believed that this team would succeed.”
Team RoSE is one of about 20 Vertically Integrated Projects at UH Manoa that seek to nurture long-term, in-depth, project-based learning to engage students and prepare them for future careers. Each VIP team consists of a faculty mentor, graduate student researchers and undergraduates.
“This is why we encourage all our students to participate in VIP,” said College of Engineering Dean Brennon Morioka. “It exposes them to all the skill sets they will need in their careers and life – from the technical know-how to working with others to public speaking and leadership qualities.”
Sarah Yamanaka covers news and events for Spectrum News Hawaii. She can be reached at sarah.yamanaka@charter.com.