Rover Profile/ 2020

Mongol-Tori2020

Centralized power, autonomous traversal, and an onboard Mars-soil laboratory

Drive: 4-wheel modified rocker-bogie suspension
Arm: 6-DOF
Autonomy: 50 cm GPS positioning; 80% AR-tag detection

CompetitionLEAD // Md. Firoz Wadud

Scroll

Mission Brief

BRACU Mongol-Tori's URC 2020 rover is a four-wheeled, rocker-bogie Mars rover built by BRAC University to assist astronauts and run planetary science research. Building on the 2019 platform, this iteration keeps the proven mechanical base but introduces major upgrades to electronics, autonomy, and science: a centralized power system, a Pixhawk-driven autonomous navigation stack, and an automated onboard laboratory now featuring Raman spectroscopy. A standout mechanical feature is an extendable rocker-bogie suspension that grows the bogie length from 0.76 m to 1.2 m to prevent flipping during vertical drops.BRACU Mongol-Tori's URC 2020 rover is a four-wheeled, rocker-bogie Mars rover built by BRAC University to assist astronauts and run planetary science research. Building on the 2019 platform, this iteration keeps the proven mechanical base but introduces major upgrades to electronics, autonomy, and science: a centralized power system, a Pixhawk-driven autonomous navigation stack, and an automated onboard laboratory now featuring Raman spectroscopy. A standout mechanical feature is an extendable rocker-bogie suspension that grows the bogie length from 0.76 m to 1.2 m to prevent flipping during vertical drops.

Spec SheetDWG mongol-tori-2020-2020

Competition: URC 2020
Year: 2020
Team Lead: Md. Firoz Wadud

01 / What Makes It New

5 breakthroughs that define Mongol-Tori 2020

01
Innovation
Extendable rocker-bogie suspension
Two heavy-duty feedback actuators expand the bogie length from 0.76 m to 1.2 m, widening the rover's base to prevent it from flipping over during vertical drops and steep slopes.
02
Innovation
Centralized power system
Replacing the previous uneven power consumption, six 10,000 mAh batteries feed a centralized power distribution circuit that delivers equal runtime across the whole rover, averaging about 45 minutes.
03
Innovation
Pixhawk-based autonomous navigation
Capitalizing on Pixhawk 4.0 with ArduRover and a Radiolink SE100 GPS-Compass, the rover reaches 50 cm waypoint accuracy, fusing OpenCV AR-tag detection (80%) and a 360-degree RPLidar for obstacle avoidance.
04
Innovation
Automated onboard science laboratory with Raman spectroscopy
A rebuilt science suite tests samples from multiple sites, introducing Raman spectroscopy alongside biomass, water-flow capillary, spectroscopic NPK, and amino-acid tests in a fully onboard lab.
05
Innovation
Robust electronics protection
Reverse-polarity protection via low-drop Schottky diodes, back-EMF-protected motor drivers, overcurrent protection, and a high-ampere kill switch guard the rover against electrical faults and human error.

02 / Engineering

Built subsystem by subsystem

Every discipline on the team owns a slice of the machine. Here is how each one comes together.

SYS.01Mechanical

01Subsystem

Mechanical

A stiff H-shaped space-frame chassis with internal triangulation carries the circuit box and arm, paired with a modified four-wheel rocker-bogie suspension. The headline feature is an extendable suspension using two heavy-duty feedback actuators that grows the base to resist flipping during vertical drops.

H-shape chassis 0.7 m x 0.55 m with triangulation to reduce shape distortion on rocky terrain
Modified rocker-bogie with two bogies and a U-shaped differential bar using universal joints at the rear
Extendable bogies grow from 0.76 m to 1.2 m via two heavy-duty feedback actuators for vertical-drop stability
Stainless-steel wheels 0.3 m dia x 0.10 m wide, drilled for lightness, with rubber pads for grip
6-DOF arm with worm-gear base for 360-degree rotation and self-locking on motor failure
Cartesian arm under development

SYS.02Network

02Subsystem

Communication

A peer-to-peer network over two high-end 2.4 GHz routers links a portable base station to the rover, with a separate 5.8 GHz FPV system for long-range vision. Static IP configuration and a dedicated DC-DC supply keep the link stable beyond one kilometer.

Base station: Ubiquiti Rocket M2 with 15dBi sector antenna (ANT232D15T-120DB) on a G-5500 rotator for 360-degree horizontal beam
Rover: Ubiquiti Bullet M2 with 12dBi omnidirectional antenna (TL-ANT2412D) feeding an Intel NUC
Static IP peer-to-peer 2.4 GHz control over 1 km
Two IP cameras on the 2.4 GHz network; four FPV cameras (2.5 mm lens) on 5.8 GHz
FPV system with two 800 mW transmitters, two receivers, and 3dBi mushroom antennas, with an FPV-switcher
Dedicated DC-DC power supply for the comms system

SYS.03Electronics

03Subsystem

Electronics

An ATmega2560 processes all commands, driving the wheels and arm through dedicated motor drivers and relays. A new centralized power system, reverse-polarity protection, and a high-ampere kill switch make this year's electronics safer and easier to debug.

ATmega2560 central processor with easy-install, debuggable circuit boards
Back-EMF-protected 30A motor drivers for wheel PWM; 13A drivers and 10A relays for the arm
Reverse-polarity protection via Schottky diode on the power distribution board
Centralized power from six 10,000 mAh batteries, ~45 min runtime
Customized high-ampere kill switch and overcurrent protection system

SYS.04Controls

04Subsystem

Controls & Software

A portable base station with one laptop, three monitors, joystick, gamepad and keyboard controls the rover. Custom Java GUIs handle control, science, and offline GPS mapping over a TCP/IP link where the base is client and the rover is server.

Control GUI built in Java over TCP/IP (base station = client, rover = server)
Mapping GUI tracks the rover on a pre-loaded offline map via GPS lat/long
Feedback-receiving environment in the GUI for feedback end effectors and mechanisms
Science GUI in Java converts sensor readings into custom measures and graphical patterns

SYS.05Autonomous

05Subsystem

Autonomy

Rather than building from scratch, the team capitalizes on a Pixhawk 4.0 running ArduRover with a Radiolink SE100 GPS-Compass for waypoint navigation, using Mission Planner as the interface. Vision and obstacle avoidance combine OpenCV AR-tag detection with a 360-degree RPLidar.

Pixhawk 4.0 with ArduRover firmware and Radiolink SE100 GPS-Compass, 50 cm positioning accuracy
Mission Planner base-station UI with waypoint, hold, and loiter (search-pattern) modes
Skid-steering outputs mapped by an ATmega2560 to motor drivers and status LEDs
AR-tag detection via OpenCV contour detection and homography at 80% accuracy
RPLidar firing ~150,000 pulses/sec for 360-degree obstacle detection and avoidance

SYS.06Science

06Subsystem

Science

The science setup was rebuilt this year, introducing Raman spectroscopy and the ability to test samples from multiple sites. It splits into a digging/sample-collector module, an environmental sensor box, and an automated onboard laboratory running biomass, water-flow, spectroscopic, and amino-acid tests.

Excavator claw digs 20 cm+ into compact soil and extracts ~80 g per grab
Sensor box: DHT22 (air temp/humidity), DS18B20 (soil temp/moisture), MQ7 (CO), MQ135 (CO2), MQ8 (H2), LDR, ML8511 (UV), Hall-effect, compass, barometric, pH probe, endoscopic camera
Biomass test via load cell and nichrome-wire heater: Biomass = (weight difference / previous weight) * 100
Water-flow capillary test using a centrifugal tube and servo-pushed syringe
Spectroscopic quantitative analysis for Nitrogen, Potassium, Phosphorous; Raman spectroscopy introduced
Amino-acid test with ninhydrin reagent and nichrome heater; digital microscope for rock/soil microscopy

03 / Telemetry

The numbers behind the build

Chassis

H-shape, 0.7 m long x 0.55 m wide

Drive System

4-wheel modified rocker-bogie suspension

Wheels

0.3 m diameter, 0.10 m width, stainless steel

Suspension Extension

Bogie length 0.76 m to 1.2 m

Arm DOF

6-DOF arm + 2-DOF end effector

Power

Six 10,000 mAh batteries, centralized

Run Time

~45 minutes average

Comms Range

Over 1 km peer-to-peer 2.4 GHz

Autonomy Accuracy

50 cm GPS positioning; 80% AR-tag detection

Compute

Intel NUC + ATmega2560 + Pixhawk 4.0

Parts Index // 20 components

Intel NUC
ATmega2560
Pixhawk 4.0
ArduRover
Radiolink SE100 GPS-Compass
Mission Planner
OpenCV
RPLidar
Ubiquiti Rocket M2
Ubiquiti Bullet M2
G-5500 rotator
ANT232D15T-120DB sector antenna
TL-ANT2412D omnidirectional antenna
DHT22
DS18B20
MQ7
MQ135
MQ8
ML8511
Java
Intel NUC
ATmega2560
Pixhawk 4.0
ArduRover
Radiolink SE100 GPS-Compass
Mission Planner
OpenCV
RPLidar
Ubiquiti Rocket M2
Ubiquiti Bullet M2
G-5500 rotator
ANT232D15T-120DB sector antenna
TL-ANT2412D omnidirectional antenna
DHT22
DS18B20
MQ7
MQ135
MQ8
ML8511
Java

Java
ML8511
MQ8
MQ135
MQ7
DS18B20
DHT22
TL-ANT2412D omnidirectional antenna
ANT232D15T-120DB sector antenna
G-5500 rotator
Ubiquiti Bullet M2
Ubiquiti Rocket M2
RPLidar
OpenCV
Mission Planner
Radiolink SE100 GPS-Compass
ArduRover
Pixhawk 4.0
ATmega2560
Intel NUC
Java
ML8511
MQ8
MQ135
MQ7
DS18B20
DHT22
TL-ANT2412D omnidirectional antenna
ANT232D15T-120DB sector antenna
G-5500 rotator
Ubiquiti Bullet M2
Ubiquiti Rocket M2
RPLidar
OpenCV
Mission Planner
Radiolink SE100 GPS-Compass
ArduRover
Pixhawk 4.0
ATmega2560
Intel NUC

04 / Mission Plan

Four missions, one machine

How this rover is engineered to score across every University Rover Challenge task.

01
Extreme Retrieval and Delivery Mission
The modified rocker-bogie suspension and upgraded chassis let the rover travel up to a kilometer over rough terrain while absorbing sudden shocks. Custom stainless-steel wheels grip rocky and sandy areas, the expanded body lands firmly on vertical drops, and the strong arm lifts heavy objects like toolboxes and water bottles.
02
Equipment Servicing Mission
A separate, rotatable two-finger claw handles precise switch and keyboard operation. A feedback end effector enables precise movements and angle measurement using a trigonometric angle-calculation formula instead of camera-based motion detection.
03
Autonomous Traversal Mission
Pixhawk 4.0 with ArduRover and a Radiolink SE100 GPS-Compass drives waypoint navigation at 50 cm accuracy via Mission Planner, using skid steering mapped by an ATmega2560. OpenCV (contour detection + homography) deciphers AR tags at 80% accuracy, while a 360-degree RPLidar handles obstacle detection and avoidance.
04
Science Mission
An excavator claw collects ~80 g soil samples from multiple sites for an automated onboard lab that runs biomass (load cell + nichrome heater), water-flow capillary, spectroscopic (N/P/K), and amino-acid (ninhydrin) tests, newly augmented with Raman spectroscopy and an environmental sensor box for planetary climate and soil data.