On September 10th and 11th, 2015 the Team SEAR (Small Exploration Rover Assistant) of the TU Berlin qualified for the national robotics competition “DLR Spacebot Cup”. They successfully passed the three-tiered parcour, in which the robots navigate on a moon-like terrain and grab objects. On November 12th and 13th, 2015 three of the ten teams will attend to the competition in the media parks NRW in Köln.

The Team SEAR developed a robot which is able to pass the parcour on a Mars-like surface. The task of the robot is to navigate in an unfamiliar environment, to overcome obstacles, to find and grab objects and to transport them. The biggest challenge is that the TU-robot acts completely independently on the Mars, opposed to the current rovers. While the team SEAR at the Institute of Aerospace of the TU Berlin works with a classic concept, the DAI Laboratory developed a Rover, which is supported by a Hexacopter. The goal is to develop an aerospace grade rover for a multi-year commitment to a near earth planet.

The Space Agency of the German Aerospace Center (DLR) organized the “DLR Spacebot Cup” financed by the Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology. Ten teams from research institutions and companies take part in the competition. Finally, such innovations are often a precursor role for useful devices and applications on Earth.

Contact at the DAI-Labor:
Dr.-Ing. Axel Heßler
Telefon: +49 30 – 314-74028
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und
M. Sc. Christopher-Eyk Hrabia
Telefon: +49 (0) 30/314 -74 031
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More informations:

• TU-Team besteht Qualifikation für den DLR SpaceBot Cup 2015
  (Medieninformation Nr. 171/2015, 14. September 2015)
• Team SEAR vom Institut für Luft- und Raumfahrt der TU Berlin