---
title: Robotic Mission to Mars
type: page
tags: C#, ASP.NET, MVC3, HTML, CSS, JavaScript, AJAX, Computer Vision
link: https://www.vssec.vic.edu.au/rmtm-challenge-enrichment/
image: https://www.vssec.vic.edu.au/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/detail-image-3-3.jpg
summary: An interactive educational game which simulates a Robotic Mission to Mars, including control of a real-life robot!
location: /cv.01
template: cv
---

This was one of my favourite projects to work on, despite the frustrations.
A cloud-based application for the Victorian Space Science Education Center (VSSEC),
which would allow a class of secondary school children log in, be assigned various
mission roles and run a simulated Mars Rover mission.

The kicker: students actually ended up controlling a physical rover robot that would
drive around VSSEC's on-site Mars simulation area.

It was a technical challenge to run 12+ users concurrently viewing the same set of
data, and issuing requests and instructions to each other. Data was partially plotted
in advance, and partially randomised. There were also random events like dust storms
or electromagnetic interference, which the students would have to cooperate and
coordinate to overcome.

Plus the added technical challenge of interfacing with VSSEC's rover, as well as
computer vision data to track its physical location on the ground. It would've been
so much easier to simulate that data along with the rest, but you can't beat the
coolness factor of driving a real robot and seeing the live feed from its camera.

Also, once development was almost complete, we recieved graphic designs from a
design agency, which required a lot of re-working to the front-end to make it fit
the final design. It ended up looking great, though.