The University of Alberta's Space Exploration Alberta Robotics team (SPEAR) has introduced its brand new rover in a fantastic video on its YouTube channel. The video is part of the entrance requirements to compete in the University Rover Challenge (URC) in Utah at the end of May, 2019. The team submitted a design review in December and was one of the 97 teams invited to submit a video about their rover. From the video submission, thirty to thirty five teams will be selected to compete in Utah.
This has been fast work for the team. They had just finished competing in the Canadian International Rover Challenge (CIRC) in Drumheller in August where they placed 7th out of 11 teams, with a completely different rover. On their return from that trip the team knew what they wanted to do next and set right to work to be ready to apply for the URC with an entirely new design.
The group knew that it wanted the video to highlight how well the rover could perform the tasks that will be assigned at the URC competition and designed their video to showcase their successes.
"We knew what we wanted to highlight for the video," says Project Manager, Manmeet Brar, a 5th year mechanical engineering student. "So we made a story board for the video, which kept us organized."
To make the URC video, SPEAR called on one of its team members who is "obviously really good with a camera," Brar says with a laugh.
The team filmed the video over two weekends, which overlapped with testing they were doing. They took another afternoon for the voice-overs and talking to the team leads.
"The video didn't really add work," says Brar. "Because it was work we would have had to do anyway. But this made the deadline closer so we had to work a bit faster."
All of SPEAR's work is new and its successes fast - the group is only two years old.
"SPEAR was formed by a group of U of A students who are all passionate about space and about robotics. They knew about these competitions and wanted to compete," she says.
Making the video was busy, but fun.
"It was great to get out and test everything we've been working towards. It was so cold but the team was just excited to see their efforts come to life."
The team will hear at the end of March whether or not they have been accepted to compete in Utah in May.
What will the group do until it hears at the end of March?
"We're putting together a bloopers reel just for fun," Brar smiles.
SPEAR is a large student group with approximately forty active members from across the Faculty of Engineering and the Faculty of Science. Members can run for team lead positions in annual elections.
"We're a team of people passionate about space and about robotics," says Brar. We're always looking to recruit new people who are excited and can contribute even a bit of their time."
You can follow SPEAR on YouTube and Twitter. Watch this space to find out when SPEAR is accepted to URC (and also for the bloopers reel).