University of Saskatchewan team wins Mars Rover competition

A group of students at the University of Saskatchewan have made exploring the surface of Mars a little easier.

The University of Saskatchewan Space Design Team (USST) has won the European Rover Challenge. The challenge asks teams of students from around the world to design a robot that can handle the rough terrain of the red planet.

"It was amazing. We did not expect to win," said team Vice-President of Engineering Austin Shirley. "There were a lot of really good teams there."

The six-wheeled rover resembles the current rover roaming the surface of Mars. However, the USST has made some improvements to the original design.

The new rover has a mechanical arm with a robotic arm that can perform human tasks. The rover also has large wheels which allows it to move over big rocks.

It also has a special suspension system that allows the rover's camera to stay relatively still.

"So, when you climb rocks with one side, it keeps the whole rover chassis level," he said. "So the camera operator isn't staring at the sky the whole time when you're climbing a big rock."

Ultimately, Shirley says similar robots will be used by astronauts on the surface of Mars when conditions are too dangerous to venture out in.

"It's inevitable," said Shirley. "It's going to happen."

Around 20 students worked on the project. The university's space design team has been entering competitions for the past decade.

The European Rover Challenge is the continent's biggest space robotics open air event.