Left to right (sitting): Mit Vaidya, Prof. Sawankumar Naik, Ishan Sonavane; (standing): Ravi Malladi, Isha Tawde, Kriti Singh, Mihir Joshi
A team of six engineering students from the city will represent India at theprestigous Human Rover Exploration Challenge organised by Nasa For a team of six engineering students from Mukesh Patel School of Technology Management, NMIMS — or Technovators as they call themselves — taking a trip to Nasa is not the stuff of dreams alone. In about a week from now, they will be there, competing for a coveted prize as part of Nasa’s third Human Exploration Rover Challenge. This in fact, is their third visit to the space haven. Last year, they won the Best System Safety Award and the Team Spirit Award. This time, the team consisting of four boys and two girls is the only one to make the cut among Mumbai colleges, apart from three others from across the country. With over 99 teams participating from across the globe, the bars are raised high.
So what exactly does the challenge entail Students are expected to build and design their own rovers (from scratch), which are then tested on a makeshift pathway similar to the Martian terrain. In other words, a rover for Mars.
Elaborates mentor and professor Sawankumar Naik, who will be accompanying the students, “Every year the rules change, making the challenge very difficult. This year Nasa has come up with the sample retrieval challenge where drivers are supposed to design a special collection tool to gather four samples of soil, small rocks, big rock and liquid material from the terrain track. Our current rover is a combination of mechanical simplicity and electronic intelligence.”
The design is completely revamped from the model that went last year, we’re told. And with various changes in design, the cost has come up to an approximate Rs 3.2 lakhs.
Technovator Mit Vaidya who has previously represented India at the Marine Advanced Technology Education (MATE) in California knows the level of competence at these international forums. He is the team leader this year. “This year we are focussing on manufacturing and competing in the design category,” he says.
Ishan Sonavane the manufacturing head of the team has been burning the midnight lamp too. “It’s been a very gruelling and demanding journey so far, but I wouldn’t trade this experience for anything else. I’m confident of the design and we have definitely improved the structure. From 120 kg last year, we have brought down the weight to 85 kg this year and are using airless non-pneumatic tyres, keeping the surface of Mars in mind,” says Ishan who is a second-timer as well.
The team of six is divided into sub-teams to handle various tasks like manufacturing, communication, outreach and fund-raising. “We are gearing up since December last year and our parents and teachers have been really supportive,” says Mihir Joshi, who is responsible for keeping the astronauts and the base camp united. “We rented an electronic workshop and I have been working to develop a strong communication system for the rover for four months now. The system consists of sensors, a GPS system and various monitors,” he adds.
For Kriti Singh, it is a farfetched dream come true. “I’ve been trying to be a part of the team for two years now and the selection came about at the right time. It’s my final year and I knew this was my last chance to be a part of the team and compete for a Nasa competition. The seniors have been very supportive and have been constantly giving us guidelines. Nothing excites me more. I’ve begun packing my bags already,” says the excited driver of the rover.
