2017 University Rover Challenge | Sedra Student Design Centre

36 Teams Advance to URC2017 Finals

The most competitive Critical Design Review in University Rover Challenge (URC) history has concluded with 36 teams from 7 countries being selected to compete June 1-3 at the Mars Desert Research Station.

Team members at the 2017 competition - candid photo

A record 82 teams from 13 countries began the year trying to design and build the world's best astronaut-assisting Mars rover. With most teams presenting highly advanced systems, judges were left with an incredibly difficult decision, and ultimately decided to expand the field of competitors from 30 to 36 teams.

The University of Waterloo's Robotics Team ranked 15th of 36 teams competing (83 teams originally applied to compete, 36 were selected). They were 2nd out of the Canadian teams, ahead of McGill, Ryerson, and UofT and behind Queen's.

This was the first year UWRT has competed in the University Rover Challenge since 2011 (so everything was done completely from scratch). The team was struggling the last couple of years and so this is a bit of a comeback for us. Their chassis worked really well, so next year they'll be able to reuse it with minor tweaks and focus on building a more advanced arm.

"It was a fantastic experience, and something new for everyone on the team" says Swapnil Patel, Team Lead and Actuator Design Co-op, UW Precision Controls Lab