Mars Rover – Mobile Robotics Platform

Status: Educational / Renovated Project | Not for commercial use

Project Summary

Originally built for the “Magyarok a Marson” (Hungarians on Mars) engineering competition in 2010, this mobile robot began as a student collaboration project focused on creative problem-solving and hands-on design.

Over a decade later, I fully renovated and modernized the platform — transforming it into an experimental embedded systems testbed, now enhanced with AI-accelerated software development and remote control functionality.

Technical Highlights

- Mechanical Platform:
  • Custom 4WD chassis with rugged wheels and mechanical suspension
  • Original frame reused from the 2010 student project
- Drive System:
  • Brushed, planetary gear DC motors (1 per wheel)
  • Speed control implemented (no current control at this stage)
  • Fuse panel
  • Powered by 6V sealed lead-acid battery
- Electronics & Control:
  • Raspberry Pi 5 as central controller
  • ATXMEGA Microcontroller-based motor driver with UART interface
  • Local web interface for control and monitoring
- Software & UI:
  • Python-based backend
  • HTML frontend interface co-developed with ChatGPT
  • Real-time speed control from mobile phone browser

Purpose & Educational Goals

This robot is a modular, flexible platform designed to support:
- Embedded software prototyping (Python, low-level comms)
- Speed control and motion tuning
- System integration testing
- Experimentation with AI-assisted development tools
- Remote UI testing on a physical robotics platform

Although not IP-rated or weatherproof, the robot can operate on flat indoor and light outdoor terrain. Future plans may include current control, sensor integration, or semi-autonomous navigation.

Disclaimer

- This is a personal, non-commercial hobby project
- Developed entirely in my own time with personal tools and hardware
- No company IP, tools, or resources were used
- This platform is not IP-rated, and not intended for commercial deployment
- Shared for educational, experimental, and inspirational purposes

Want to Connect?

Have a robotics idea to discuss, or feedback to share? I’m always open to conversations with fellow engineers and makers — feel free to reach out via the Contact page.