Vehicles for the red planet
Students at Istanbul Technical University (ITU) have developed the prototype for a Mars rover in which components from FAULHABER look after important functions. The ITU team successfully took part in the “University Rover Challenge” (URC) in the USA with this vehicle.
Specifically, the ITU team used six DC-micromotors with graphite commutation from series 3272...CR and the relevant gearhead to drive the six wheels, plus an additional unit for rotating the gripper. The sponsorship by FAULHABER was thanks to Turkish company ALTINAY, which has been a FAULHABER customer for many years. ALTINAY, which has been on the market since the early 1990’s, is a pioneering company in the industrial robotics in Turkey, and is now one of the country’s leading suppliers.
The student team from ITU took part in the “University Rover Challenge” (URC) in the USA with their “ALTINAY Mars Explorer” in June 2017 - and achieved a great result. Although they were the first Turkish team to ever take part in the competition, they achieved 4th place against 82 teams from 13 countries.
