• 

  Dashboard

🔹 Inspiration

Exploring other planets is humanity’s greatest adventure, but rover operations are complex and risky. We wanted to create an interactive simulation that shows how surface operations on Mars or the Moon might feel giving users both the thrill of control and the challenges of exploration.

🔹 What it does

Lets users control a virtual rover on Mars-like terrain.

Includes rover health indicators (battery, temperature, wheel status).

Simulates sample collection missions (rocks, soil).

Mission dashboard with alerts for hazards (sand traps, low power).

Educational element: teaches rover navigation + operations in a fun, visual way.

🔹 How we built it

Frontend/UI: React + Three.js (3D rover and terrain rendering).

Backend: Node.js with WebSocket for real-time rover state updates.

Physics: Simplified simulation (slope handling, battery drain).

Database: Firebase for saving mission data & telemetry.

Cloud: Vercel for deployment.

Version control: GitHub.

🔹 Challenges we ran into

Balancing realism vs simplicity in rover physics.

Creating smooth rover controls that feel natural yet challenging.

Integrating a 3D engine into a web-first app.

🔹 Accomplishments that we’re proud of

Built a working rover simulator in limited time.

Designed an intuitive mission dashboard for rover operations.

Created a project that blends education, simulation, and fun.

🔹 What we learned

Basics of simulating physics for vehicles in a 3D environment.

How to integrate real-time data (telemetry) with 3D rendering.

Importance of good UX design for mission control systems.

🔹 What’s next for RoverRover

Add VR support for immersive rover control.

Expand terrain maps (real NASA DEM data).

Multi-rover operations (collaboration in exploration).

AI autopilot for hazard detection and route planning.

🔹 Code Example (control logic snippet in JS/React)

// Simple rover movement logic function moveRover(direction) { if (battery > 0) { switch(direction) { case "forward": rover.position.z -= 1; break; case "backward": rover.position.z += 1; break; case "left": rover.rotation.y += 0.1; break; case "right": rover.rotation.y -= 0.1; break; } battery -= 0.5; // reduce battery with movement updateTelemetry(rover, battery); } else { alert("Battery depleted! Recharge required."); } }

Built With

• firebase
• github
• node.js
• react
• three.js
• vercel