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The Space Concordia Robotics teams has qualified for the upcoming on-site European Rover Challenge, one of 19 teams of 64 to do so.
The European Rover Challenge (ERC) is co-organized by the European Space Foundation, Kielce University of Technology, and The Marshal Office of the Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship. The event is being held in Kielce, Poland with some financial support coming from the Polish Ministry of Education and Science. The on-site event is scheduled for September 9-11.
Two teams from Canada are participating, Concordia University’s Space Concordia Robotics, and the University of Toronto’s Robotics for Space Exploration (RSX).
While Space Concordia Robotics qualified for the on-site event, Robotics for Space Exploration will participate in the remote event.
The organizers of the ERC state the goals of the program is to work “towards technological developments, specifically those in GPS-denied environments, with space exploration and utilisation as the leading theme. The ultimate goal of the ERC is to become a standardised test trial and benchmark for planetary robotic activities, coupled with strong professional career development platform.”
The event is two tracks, or formulas as they call it. In the “ON-SITE formula, student teams from all over the world work hard to prepare a fully functional Mars rover of their design. The rover has to be a standalone, mobile platform. All teams that go through the qualifications, get to compete on an artificial martian track in Poland in numerous challenging tasks.”
The “REMOTE formula will all use the same equipment (Leo Rover & UR robotic arm) during the competition, with which they will connect remotely via the Internet from anywhere on Earth. The winner of the competition will be the one who most reliably prepares the software necessary for the mission and demonstrates effectiveness in team management, reacting to critical situations and change management.”
