Scanning for Lifeforms
BioBot
Summary
BioBot is a semi-autonomous polar exploration robot with biodiversity tracking technology
How We Addressed This Challenge
Our project aims to help track the biodiversity in the Arctic. As climate change continues to worsen, Arctic Ice Caps have melted, destroying homes for many lifeforms in the area. Thus, there is a need to monitor the change in Arctic biodiversity over time, so as to allow us to track the damage done by climate change.
We decided that an effective way to monitor changes to biodiversity in the Arctic is by using a rover which can aid Arctic research bases in collecting data samples on Arctic life. Our model has multiple modules which contribute to the detection of life in the Arctic, from a camera and microphone to an extraction tool for ice layer and water samples.
Our rover was developed in order to provide researchers with a tool to analyze how the biodiversity of the Arctic changes over time. We hope that with the development of this rover it will become easier to analyze how the biodiversity of the Arctic is impacted by climate change.
How We Developed This Project
We were inspired to choose this challenge by the global impact of Climate Change. While the media typically mentions the ice caps melting, we felt that a rover would be useful in quantifying the biodiversity change caused by those melting icecaps.
When designing the robot, one of our first realizations was that the robot must be durable enough to survive blizzards, but not too heavy where it would break the ice layer. We decided to make the robot on the heavier side, so that it would be durable during snowstorms, but to include a smaller, lighter robot that can be deployed to explore areas with thinner ice layers. Also, to ensure that weight is evenly spread over the ice layer surface, we decided to use treads rather than individual wheels, which both provide traction and weight dispersion.
For biodiversity tracking, we wanted to track land animal data, as well as data on both land and sea bacteria. For land animal data, we included a microphone to pick up animal calls, and an infrared and standard camera to allow us to image the animal for later analysis. For bacterial data, we decided that sampling would be the best way to analyze biodiversity. For the land bacteria, we decided to include an ice sampler on the main rover module, which would keep ice in an insulated container to allow for later analysis on research bases. In a similar style, we decided to include a water sampler on the smaller rover rather than the larger rover, as water is typically available closer to the thinner ice regions.
Also, we wanted the robot to be able to travel long distances away from research bases. However, looking into information on using solar panels, we found that there were months where the Arctic would receive no sunlight, and other months where there would be constant sunlight. Thus, we decided on a hybrid plan for the battery, where the rover would be able to switch between solar panels and charging at research stations depending on the amount of light that could be used on any given day.
Our robot is semi-autonomous in that it can be directly driven by mission control. However, it can also drive in the directions of specified GPS coordinates while using its ultrasonic sensor to detect and avoid any obstacles.
We also realized that the robot would still need some form of a control system, even if it was partially autonomous. We decided to implement a design prototype for the control system using Adobe XD, allowing a user to manually request an ice or water sample, track land species, and control the rover in general. Below is our front page for the control system for the rover.
In planning our project, we used Adobe Illustrator to create a sketch of the general structure of the robot. As the robot still requires some forms of human control in collecting data, we used Adobe XD to create a workflow showcasing the control system for the robot. For 3D modeling of the rover, we used the 3DBuilder software. Attached below is our initial sketch plan from Adobe Illustrator for the rover, as well as our 3D prototype created in 3DBuilder.
We're super proud that we were able to come up with a concrete rover design in just one weekend. None of us had ever produced a full CAD model and plan in such a short time period before this hackathon, so we're super proud of that as well.
How We Used Space Agency Data in This Project
We used two main sources of NASA data. The first of these was the ICESat-2 dataset. This data gave us information about the ice layer in the Arctic, which was important in our design of the rover, as we had to make sure it would not be too heavy for the ice layer. We also used CAD models from NASA to inspire our rover design, namely the CAD model of the Mars Rover and the NASA/JPL open source rover model. These rovers are very general rover models, so we used key features of these designs and applied them to the Arctic biome, where there is a need for more focus on withstanding blizzards and making sure the rover is lightweight so it can be supported by the ice layer.
Project Demo
Data & Resources
NASA ICESat-2 dataset for Arctic Ice layer thickness
NASA/JPL Open Source Rover for general construction specifications of a NASA rover
Computer-Design Drawing for NASA's 2020 Mars Rover for a model of what NASA included in a rover design for Mars