Who are we?
AAU Space Robotics is a student-led team from Aalborg University in Denmark, founded in 2023. The team is made up of interdisciplinary students from fields like mechanics, robotics, energy, and many more, bringing together a wide range of expertise and perspectives. We focus on developing intelligent robotic systems tailored for the challenges of space exploration, such as autonomous navigation, manipulation, and resource utilization. In addition to our research and development efforts, we actively compete in international engineering competitions like the European Rover Challenge (ERC), where we test and showcase our innovations against top teams from around the world. Through these experiences, we aim to push the boundaries of what student teams can achieve in the field of space robotics and prepare the next generation of engineers and researchers for the future of space exploration.
Our Projects
The team have worked on multiple different projects over the years continuing to improve upon existing ideas or exploring entirely new methods to solve the problems faced by robotics in space.
G.O.R.M:
This generation focused on improving the already existing 2nd generation rover to be more competitive in the ERC. This was done by cutting battery weight by 80% which also limited the operating time to 2 hours. All of the internal electronics were redesigned for better reliability and faster payload modification.
AAU Mars rover Gen 2:
This generation increased the size of the rover significantly, measuring around 100x150x150 cm with a weight of approximately 66 kg with no payloads attached. It was designed with a large battery capacity allowing for more than 12 hours of operating time before recharging was necessary. This rover was the first rover capable of operating a manipulator hugely improving the operation capabilities of the rover platform.
AAU Mars drone Gen 1:
This was the first drone developed by the team, and was meant to accompany the 2. generation Mars rover. This drone was a 4 propeller drone based on the xxxx platform with a carbon fiber body. It utilised an old PixHawk flight controller which necessitated adding new of board IMU sensors, since the onbard ones did not work. The drone also used a xxx Intel RealSense camera along with a xxx for processing.
T.H.Y.R.A:
Was the 2nd generation drone developed, and was meant to accompany G.O.R.M. This drone was a 4 propeller drone based on the xxxx platform with a carbon fiber body. To allow flight it utilised a xxx Cube Orange flight controller and a downward facing LIDAR sensor. The drone used a xxx Intel RealSense camera to capture video and used an Nvidia Orin which allowed for all image processing, object identification and tracking to be done onboard the drone.
Team Structure
The team is led by a Team Lead (Chairman), who oversees the overall direction and coordination of activities. This leadership role works closely with both the Financial Lead and the Technical Lead (Vice Chairman), the latter being responsible for maintaining a broad overview of the rover and drone's technical development. Beneath this leadership layer, the team is divided into three specialized subteams, each with its own designated lead: Rover Platform, Manipulator, and Drone. All engineering students not holding a lead position are assigned to one of these three subteams, where they contribute directly to the projects technical progress. The team also has a social media team responsible for fulfilling the marketing agreements made with sponsors.
Competitions
The team i participating in the international rover challenges that are spread across the world. The main competition that the team is focused on is called the European Rover Challenge or ERC for short. It is a competition held each year in Poland attracting thousands of student engineers. It allows like minded students to meet from across the world forging international friendships and fostering multinational collaboration. This is also a great way to show what the team is able to design and build with their acquired engineering skills.
