Alabama Astrobotics is a student design team at the University of Alabama formed in 2009 with the purpose of educating students about robotics through the design and build of extraterrestrial mining rovers.
The CompetitionsAlabama Astrobotics has primarily competed in NASA's Lunabotics competition and Caterpillar's Robotic Mining Challenge. The purpose of these competitions is to design and build a robot that supports life-sustainment on the lunar surface. The Moon's surface is covered in dust called lunar regolith and contains a buried material called icy regolith, imitated with gravel. The lunar regolith will be collected and used for construction purposes. Use cases include lunar regolith based concrete mixes and berms made of loose material to protect structures. Additionally, once retrieved, the icy regolith material will be used for astronauts' water and oxygen, as well as rocket fuel for further missions.
2009-2017: During the competitions, our robot traversed a lunar-simulated arena, dug for lunar regolith, and deposited it in a collection bin. 2018-2023: During the competitions, our robot traversed a lunar-simulated arena, dug for icy regolith buried underground, and deposited it in a collection bin. 2024-Present: During the competitions, our robot traversed a lunar-simulated arena, dug for any material (potentially including boulders), and constructed berms in a dedicated construction zone. |
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The TeamAlabama Astrobotics is divided into four main sub-teams: Mechanical, Electrical, Software, and Systems Engineering. Mechanical designs and manufactures the robot; Electrical supplies and regulates power to rover electronics; Software programs the robot to operate autonomously; and Systems Engineering determines requirements, schedules, and budgets based on competition rules.
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National ChampionsThe Astrobotics Team is highly decorated in awards from the competitions. In NASA's Lunabotics competition, the Team has won first place nine times in the twelve previous competitions, the last eight times in a row. Additionally, the Team has placed first in the Caterpillar Robotic Mining Challenge in the inaugural year of the competition.
NASA Lunabotics Championship Years: 2024, 2022, 2021, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2012 Caterpillar Robotics Mining Challenge Championship Year: 2019 |
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OutreachIn addition to building our robot, the team leads many outreach events both on the University's campus and in the surrounding area. We strive to share our love for space and robotics with younger students and encourage them to get involved in STEM.
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Resources
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NASA LunaboticsAlabama Astrobotics competes in NASA's Lunabotics Competition, a competition in which university-level students design and build a mining robot that can traverse the simulated Lunar terrain. Click the picture to learn more!
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Caterpillar Robotic Mining ChallengeCaterpillar hosted the Robotic Mining Challenge for the second time in 2023 after its first competition in 2019. The competition was hosted on The University of Alabama's campus in the Alabama Astrobotics's Lunar Surface Simulator (LSS). Click the picture to learn more!
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