Cornell Mars Rover— Team Lead & Systems Engineer

Written By Nyra Graham

Competition: University Rover Challenge, Mars Society (Hankseville, Utah)
Role: Team Lead, Mechanical/Electromechanical Integration
Years Involved: 2021–2025 (AstroTech Subteam Member → Subteam Lead → Full Team Lead)

Overview
Led Cornell’s Mars Rover Project Team through design, build, and competition at the University Rover Challenge — an international robotics competition in Utah’s Mars-analog desert. Managed a 60+ person interdisciplinary team and contributed directly to rugged mechanical design, actuator integration, electrical harnessing, and rapid prototyping for extreme environments.

Rugged Mechanical Systems

  • Designed and field-tested rover systems against sand, dust storms, heat, and vibration.

  • Improved reliability of electronic enclosures via dust sealing, thermal coatings, and insulation.

  • Adapted to motor failures and overheating during competition, applying lessons in ruggedization and cooling.

Actuators & Motion Systems

  • Designed and tested a soil collection system using DC motors and later servo integration for positional control.

  • Wrote Arduino firmware to integrate servos and sensors via I²C with the central comms board.

  • Reinforced linkage designs (3D printed + sheet metal) to reduce backlash and maintain motion reliability.

Wiring Harnesses & Electrical Integration

  • Hand-built CAN and power harnesses routed through rotating subsystems (6-DOF arm, wheels, swerve drive).

  • Debugged CAN bus communication with analyzers and established continuity/termination standards.

  • Structured power distribution with modular PDBs for isolated testing and subsystem debugging.

Rapid Prototyping & Fabrication

  • Led team’s additive manufacturing: introduced PETG for chemical resistance, TPU for rover wheels.

  • Maintained and upgraded printers (Ender → Prusa → Bambu) to support nonstop iteration.

  • Designed and printed mounts, enclosures, and housings; deployed 3D printer on-site in Utah for emergency repairs.

  • Combined in-house machining and vendor sheet-metal fabrication for fast, lightweight parts.

Cross-Disciplinary Collaboration & Leadership

  • Coordinated mechanical, electrical, software, and science subteams for integration milestones.

  • Mediated conflicts and made system-level tradeoffs (e.g., reverting to a proven arm for testing while developing a new one in parallel).

  • Mentored teammates individually, tailoring guidance to learning styles and balancing autonomy with support.

  • Directed reviews (PDR, SAR, design reviews) and documented integration in Confluence.

Field Deployment Highlights

  • Managed competition logistics and led debugging under pressure in Utah.

  • Recovered from a failed drive motor and overheating Jetson computer on-site.

  • Developed contingency workflows to keep the rover operational despite harsh terrain and environmental stressors.

Skills Demonstrated

  • Technical: Rugged electromechanical systems, actuator/motion integration, CAN bus, harness design, rapid prototyping, CAD/machining, additive manufacturing.

  • Organizational: Project management, system-level engineering, vendor coordination, technical documentation.

  • Soft Skills: Leadership under constraints, cross-disciplinary teamwork, mentorship, field-ready problem solving.

Links

Nyra Graham
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