RYZE Rover

Inspiration

Space exploration often begins with simple scouting missions—robots that gather basic environmental information before humans ever arrive. Our team, RYZE, was inspired by real planetary rovers that perform surface surveys to identify points of interest and potential resources. We wanted to create a beginner-friendly rover that simulates how early exploration robots might scan unfamiliar terrain and identify reflective or metallic materials that could indicate useful resources.

What it does

The RYZE Rover autonomously scans its surroundings by rotating in place and using an ultrasonic sensor to detect nearby objects. It determines the direction of the closest object, moves toward it, and uses an infrared sensor to check whether the surface is shiny or reflective. Each detected shiny object is counted and logged in a companion app via Bluetooth, simulating basic planetary resource scouting.

How we built it

Mechanically, we built our rover using a differential-drive chassis, allowing it to rotate 360° by independently controlling its wheels. This eliminated the need for a servo-based sensor mount while still allowing directional scanning.

Electronically, we integrated:

An ultrasonic sensor for distance detection
An infrared sensor to detect reflective or shiny surfaces
An ESP32 microcontroller to handle control logic and Bluetooth communication
Motor drivers and power regulation to support movement and sensing

On the software side, we wrote firmware that:

Rotates the robot in place to scan its environment
Records distance readings to find the closest object
Moves toward that direction
Uses infrared sensing to determine whether the object is shiny
Sends a count of detected shiny objects to a mobile app via Bluetooth

Challenges we ran into

Our main challenge was getting the mechanical and electrical systems to work together reliably. Physically mounting the sensors, motors, and wiring onto the chassis while keeping everything secure and aligned required multiple iterations. Small mechanical issues, such as wheel alignment and sensor placement, often affected sensor readings and movement accuracy.

On the electrical side, managing power distribution, motor control, and stable sensor connections was challenging, especially while integrating the ESP32 and Bluetooth functionality. Debugging issues where mechanical motion interfered with sensor performance taught us the importance of careful hardware integration and testing.