By nasa-jlp
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NOTE: For the previous major version of the OSR, please see v3.1.0.
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The JPL Open Source Rover is an open source, build it yourself, scaled down version of the 6 wheel rover design that JPL uses to explore the surface of Mars. The Open Source Rover is designed entirely out of consumer off the shelf (COTS) parts. This project is intended to be a teaching and learning experience for those who want to get involved in mechanical engineering, software, electronics, robotics but is also an excellent research platform for rugged terrain. No prior skills or knowledge is required.
A gallery of some community builds including previous versions of the rover can be found.
JPL is always looking to inspire the next generation of scientists, engineers, and roboticists to help us explore and learn about our solar system (and beyond!). We release the plans for this rover as a way to try and give budding enthusiasts a fun robotics project that will help teach them and get them involved in robotics sooner and at a lower cost.
The OSR has been around since 2017 and has undergone many iterations. It is a premium and robust robot with a unique look, high customizability, and powerful abilities. The hardware and electronics were designed with expansions like a head display and robot arm in mind.
Spec | Value |
---|---|
Top Speed | ~1.6m/s (~slow running, subject to motor selection) |
Number of Motors | 10 |
Structural Material | Aluminum |
Total Cost | ~$1600 (about the cost of a TurtleBot 3 Waffle) |
The OSR mostly uses parts from GoBilda for the mechanical assembly. For GoBilda's (international) shipping options, see here.
Other open-source, cheaper alternatives exist but are slower, less strong, and are more fragile. See Additional Projects.
This rover is designed to function similarly to the 6 wheel rover designs on Mars and employs a few of the major driving mechanics that the Mars rovers use to traverse rocky surfaces:
A Raspberry Pi acts as the "brain" of this rover for its versatility, accessibility, simplicity, and ability to add and upgrade your own modifications. Any method with which you can communicate with a Raspberry Pi (Bluetooth, WiFi, USB devices, etc.) can be interfaced into the control system of the robot.
For a 7.2Ah battery and with some driving on rough terrain, expect to get at least 3 hours of drive time. The chart below was recorded while driving on rocky terrain and plots voltage, current draw, and commanded velocity over time. When the voltage drops below 13-14V, the rover will power down. You can increase drive time by getting a bigger battery and/or by having the rover carry a second battery that can be swapped out.
WARNING: Be careful to not discharge a LiPo battery too far as that drastically lowers the lifetime of your battery and can potentially make it hard or impossible to recharge.
Considering building one yourself? The best way to ask questions, reach maintainers, learn about modifications, and join the community of Open Source Rover builders is to join our Slack group:
Note: JPL and Caltech have no official affiliation with this forum; it is run by individuals of the general public. On these you can ask questions if you need help or clarification on any aspects of the project. Additionally, you can post and promote any modifications or addons that you have created on this project. We highly encourage additions and modifications to be posted so that this project and community can grow.
As an open-source hardware project, the rover is continuously improving. Please check issues, pull requests, and the Slack forum to see if any big changes are expected soon. The OSR project is proud to be Open-Source Hardware certified!
You can view a 3D model of the latest version of the rover in your browser at OnShape.
This project has elements in mechanical assembly/fabrication, uses a host of electrical components, and has software that will run it all. In order to complete this project, you will need to have some experience in the following:
Most of the above are skills that you can learn and pick up fairly quickly from watching videos and doing research on the internet, and throughout the project we try to give supplemental information on some of these as well. See the build documents for more information.
This project assumes you have some standard tools to help assemble the project. If you do not have any of the optional tools, we provide examples of online services that you can use to have the parts fabricated and sent to you.
In our experience, this project takes no less than 100 person-hours to build, and depending on the familiarity and skill level of those involved could be significantly more. Experienced builders may be able to build this project in this amount of time. However, this project is generally meant to be a teaching and learning tool. Throughout the documentation, we try to give supplemental information for those who might be new to this kind of project.
Note that educational builders may apply for a 15% discount at GoBilda by filling out this form. Make sure you do this on time as processing times may vary.
You can select higher RPM motors (to drive your rover faster) at the sacrifice of max stall torque. A selection of motors that would integrate easily with the rest of the suggested rover design can be found at GoBilda - 5203 series. The rover design and the software can accommodate different wheel sizes if you find wheels you like better.
Take a look at these alternative Mars rover replicas:
Reference herein to any specific commercial product, process, or service by trade name, trademark, manufacturer, or otherwise, does not constitute or imply its endorsement by the United States Government or the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology. Government sponsorship acknowledged.