How Big is Your Team |GLX-PRIZE

Rover Prototype Update:

The team at Tohoku University are making steady progress on the construction

of the rover prototype. The picture below shows the suspension integrated to the

body frame.

The wheels are now being made from acyclic polymer tube and will be attached next week.

Probably due to the Sendai Earthquake, there have been some serious delays with the

manufacturer of the new camera and the laser range finder, but the delivery of those

components is expected next month.

First demonstrations of the rover prototype are scheduled for July, with some significant

software progress by September. The rover will be ready to perform a mock-GLXP mission

on Earth by the end of this year.

Work will then continue through 2012 on the rest of the software, navigation strategies,

verification of the wheel configuration and installation of all electronic systems.

Rover Prototype Design |WhiteLabelSpace

Rover Prototype Design:

A new student has joined the White Label Space team at the
Tohoku University Space Robotics Lab in Japan.
Jérémie Gaboriaud will be in charge of the CAD design of a
prototype of the rover to be used in our mission for the
Google Lunar X PRIZE (GLXP ).

The starting point for Jérémie's work will be the design
configuration used for the recently completed project by
Xavier Laurand on the rover's thermal design and analysis.
This rover is shown in the picture below.

From this starting point Jérémie will construct additional CAD
models to examine different design options for the rover's various
subsystems and equipment.

The rover prototype will initially be developed solely for operation
on Earth. Its HD camera system, star tracker, and solar panels will
provide new research opportunities for the Space Robotics Lab.
Once the new test-bed is implemented, each subsystem will be
assessed for space-flight readiness and suitability for operation in a
lunar environment

Jérémie Gaboriaud is a French student currently studying mechanical
engineering as part of a degree through apprenticeship at ICAM
(Institut Catholique des Arts et Metiers) in Toulouse, France.
His course requires him to undertake a half year internship in a foreign
university and for this he chose to work at Tohoku Univeristy under the
supervision of professor Kazuya Yoshida on the GLXP project.

quelle: Google Lunar X-Prize