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The European Space Agency’s Rosalind Franklin ExoMars rover, which after losing its 2020 launch window, is now slated to reach the red planet in 2022, has a younger “ brother ”: ExoMy. The space agency has made the blueprints and software for this mini-version of the full-size Mars explorer available for free so that anyone can 3D print, assemble and program their ExoMy.
The six-wheeled ExoMy rover stands 42cm tall. Its structural parts take about two weeks to 3D print from PLA, a biodegradable material made from plant starch. The ExoMy rovers reproduce the key features of its 2-meter-tall big “ sister ” on a non-functional base, including a drill, solar panels on the rear wings and a camera shaft with a customizable face, mouth and hat.
ExoMy also uses the Rosalind Franklin rover’s “triple-bogie” suspension design, which allows it to traverse obstacles as high as its own wheel while maintaining stability. Each wheel has its own motor and the tread has protrusions to aid traction on rough terrain. But the flexible sleeves can also be molded to slide on wheels for smoother passage on flat surfaces.
“ExoMy is more than a toy as it can serve as a low-cost research and prototyping platform for robotic experiments,“Swiss intern Miro Voellmy explains.”And this version of the rover isn’t a frozen project, with people coming back with ideas for improvements, like a pan and tilt camera on the tree, which they offer to help out on. For internal testing, we are also working on a mini-version of the speed-optimized Sample Fetch Rover, planned as part of ESA’s contribution to the International Mars Sample Return venture.“
ESA estimates that the materials needed to print it and other components will cost most people around € 500 (nearly $ 600) or less. The source code is available on GitHub along with a step-by-step assembly guide and tutorial. The idea behind ExoMy seems to be above all that college students will use design as a way to learn about robotics and the ExoMars mission.
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