We build a Mars rover.

Currently recruiting for 2026/2027.

SC Robotics rover performing equipment servicing mission

UNIVERSITY ROVER CHALLENGE FINALIST · 5× SINCE 2020

CREDIBILITY 02 / 09

We drive to the Mars Desert Research Station in Utah and beat four-year universities.

5×

URC finalist · 2020–2025 · top ~40 teams worldwide each year

17/114

Our place at URC 2025 · 114 teams · 15 countries

WHAT IT DOES 03 / 09

4 missions.

That means a dexterous arm, long-range driving across the desert, and a way to detect biologic life.

Autonomous Navigation — GPS + ArUco on ROS 2 Nav2 · Isaac ROS on Jetson next season
Robotic Arm Manipulation — Pick up tools, operate panels, thread cables
Science Sampling — Drill soil, on-board chemistry, look for signs of past life
Equipment Servicing — Deliver payloads, flip switches, type on a keyboard

Rover at golden hour in Utah red rock country

THE FIELD 04 / 09

YOU'VE HEARD OF MOST OF THESE

Who we compete against:

Cornell

Carnegie Mellon

Georgia Tech

Michigan

Purdue

BYU

Missouri S&T

West Virginia

UC San Diego

Northeastern

Toronto

Waterloo

In 2025 we finished ahead of Cornell, Georgia Tech, UC San Diego, and Toronto.

WHO WE NEED 05 / 09

We're recruiting four subteams.

Electrical

PCB DESIGN · POWER · WIRING

Create LTSpice schematics → Design PCB boards in-house using Altium → Send them to manufacture → Debug and test.

Mechanical

SOLIDWORKS · CAD · CNC · 3D PRINT

3D CAD design, rapid prototyping, in-house manufacturing.

Programming

C++ · PYTHON · ROS · OPENCV

Autonomy, computer vision, path planning, embedded firmware.

Science

BIO · CHEM · GEOLOGY

Design the on-board experiments that detect life. Present findings to URC judges.

NO EXPERIENCE REQUIRED 06 / 09

No prior experience needed.

We teach SolidWorks, PCB design, ROS, embedded — all of it. What we're looking for is people who want to learn, alongside mentors who've already graduated and are working in industry or in their master's programs right now.