Simone Atzwanger (AT), Max Heisinger (AT), Max Hofinger (AT), Markus Pirngruber (AT), Florian Rudinger (AT)
VERNER consists of a handmade carbon-fiber chassis, six wheels and four motors. It’s controlled by a credit-card-size processor with wireless connectivity that permits two-way exchange of data on engine workload, sensors and wheel position. Its one-of-a-kind programming interface makes it possible to reprogram all components live while the vehicle is on the go. Users can try out many of these features for themselves during the demonstration.
Research, discovery and exploration at close range: These are the driving ideas behind VERNER, the Versatile Nature Exploration Rover. As the result of a lot of developmental work, a remote-controlled vehicle based on the model of the Mars Rover Curiosity was created. This will be able to make more and more autonomous decisions as experience grows. By then, however, VERNER is already in use: It offers a solid platform for testing devices such as processors or sensors, since it can deliver data in a real environment that would otherwise not be possible. The powerful engines and the small turning radius make navigation in narrow spaces involving numerous obstacles possible. By means of the high internal extensibility future application areas, are offered potential, possibilities such as 3D video transmission, new data and many simultaneous users round off VERNER as a platform and call for discovery trips.
A small group of students from physics, chemistry, mechatronics and computer science developed the project. They got to know each other in school, but their enthusiasm for technology also kept them together. In summer 2017 the fascinating idea came up to build a kind of Mars Rover leading to the development of their website and their first big project.
