The Problem
For NASA’s Centennial Challenge, the goal was to design a habitat for deep space exploration that could be built autonomously on Mars using local materials. The complexity lay in orchestrating a mobile printer module to harvest materials, print the structure, and place pre-assembled components without human guidance.
The Engineering
As part of Team Zopherus, I helped develop the "print-and-assembly" algorithm. This software logic dictated the precise sequence of operations, managing the trade-off between material extrusion and the pick-and-place movements of the robotic arm. We validated the algorithm through Python simulations in Blender and small-scale physical tests using multi-material printers.
The Results
Our algorithm was successfully validated, contributing to Team Zopherus winning 2nd place in Phase 3 of the competition (taking home part of the $2M prize purse). The project demonstrated a viable path for autonomous construction in extraterrestrial environments.
The final competition entry demonstrating the validated "print-and-assembly" autonomous construction algorithm.