Caterpillar and NASA: Supporting Student Innovation

Fifty-eight college teams are making their way to the Kennedy Space Center for the Third Annual Lunabotics Mining Competition.

Teams from around the world are taking part in the weeklong event beginning May 21. The Lunabotics Mining Competition is a university-level competition designed to engage and retain students in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).

Students design and build a remote controlled or autonomous excavator. The lunabot collects and deposits a minimum of 10 kilograms of lunar simulant within 15 minutes. The complexities of the challenge include the abrasive characteristics of the lunar simulant, the weight and size limitations of the lunabot, and the ability to control the lunabot from a remote control center.

“Caterpillar has a long history of supporting educational opportunities that promote the STEM areas,” said Eric Reiners, Caterpillar Automation Manager, who is lending his expertise as a judge at the event. 

“We need to encourage technology, innovation and ingenuity to students of all ages. The development of autonomous systems will ultimately help our global customers boost safety, efficiency and increase profitability.”

There is a Cat® 287C semi-autonomous Multi Terrain Loader (MTL) on display at Lunabotics to showcase the technologies Caterpillar and NASA have developed. For updates during the competition on Twitter, go to  #Lunabotics. To learn more about the Lunabotics Mining Competition, please visit www.nasa.gov/lunabotics.