Two teams from Pueblo Community College Southwest excelled at the Colorado Space Grant Consortium Robotics Challenge in April, which took place at the Great Sand Dunes National Park. The teams earned multiple awards for their rover designs.
The consortium, a NASA-funded program, engages undergraduate students in space-related challenges. The robotics competition tasked teams with building autonomous rovers, similar to Mars rovers, weighing under 4 kilograms (8 pounds) and costing less than $500.
A PCC concurrent enrollment team, consisting of Daniel Thornton, Mckade Mumbower, Ben Carpenter, Micah Stembridge and Roberto Sauzameda-Carbajal, designed a rover with unique rotating articulation. They won the Exemplary Team New to Robotics award. The PCC college team – Matthew Troyer, Erica Thompson and Jonathan Nez Jr. – created a six-legged rover that mimics the way insects move, earning awards for Thoughtful Design: Attention to Detail and Best Rover Between 1.5 kilograms and 4 kilograms.
On April 26, both teams presented their work at the COSGC Undergraduate Research Symposium at Pikes Peak State College. The CE team showcased a research poster titled “Rotating Articulation in Robotics,” while the college team presented a paper, “BioStrider: Design of a Six-Legged Autonomous Robot for Efficient Navigation in Sandy and Rocky Terrain,” accompanied by a slideshow. The college team won Best Research Paper in their session, which was judged by aerospace industry professionals.
