The Mars Pathfinder mission, which landed a space vehicle on the surface of Mars, had a small rover known as the Sojourner, which is used to roam the surface of Mars and study some of its properties. This mission inspired us to try and make such a rover and ponder over the possible industrial applications of such a vehicle. This project has given us a chance to practically apply what we have learnt in our engineering studies and taught us a lot about teamwork.

The primary objective of the project was the development of a collision avoidance system in an autonomous micro-controlled land vehicle. It has the ability to navigate from a pre-determined point to a desired location, expertly evading obstacles in its path. Our design incorporates only static obstacles, placed on a level surface. Our design considerations are the vehicle platform, motors, and type of microcontroller, obstacle avoidance sensors, navigational sensors, and basic program behavior.

This was an ambitious project as it was the first of it’s kind, that our student branch attempted. Since neither the branch nor any member had any previous experience of this sort, the project modules were decided and distributed among 50 student members. The college management funded the entire branch project. This project was exhibited at the International Exhibition called "Elecrama’ 99", in which 19 countries participated, that was organized by the Indian Electrical and Electronics Manufacturer’s Association (IEEMA). The branch project and the exhibition proved to be an extremely valuable experience for the student members, as they have learnt valuable lessons in presentation skills, working as a team toward common goals, and the importance of getting the job done within deadlines.