The Mechanical Subteam designs, tests, and manufactures the physical and mechanical components of the Rover. This includes the chassis, rocker-bogie, wheels, arm, and more. With a weight requirement and many intricate tasks that need to be completed, parts and designs need to be carefully designed and tested.

Members of the Mechanical Subteam:

• Learn how to design parts in SolidWorks
• Understand and implement general design principles
• Get hands on experience in manufacturing and machining

We strive to manufacture as much of our rover ourselves as possible, with most of our current parts made in-house. NIU has a wonderful staff that manages the machine shop and can educate new members on how to use various available machines. They also offer consultation on designs to give valuable and experienced insight on manufacturability. Members have the opportunity to learn how to machine parts safely and correctly.

Our team is newcomer friendly, and we’re always looking for more help! Whether you’re a first semester freshman with no experience or a second year graduate student, you’re more than welcome to throw your ideas into the hat!

Students interested in joining can fill out the our Interest Form. From this, your student email will be added to our mailing list.