Banu Mousa KFUPM Rover Team

+KFUPM ROVER TEAM · SAUDI ARABIA

Curiosity,
engineered.

A student team. A six-wheel rover. A shared drive to explore what comes next.

We are Banu Mousa, developing a rover at KFUPM in preparation for the Australian Rover Challenge 2027.

Explore the engineeringOur mission
IN DEVELOPMENT ARCh 2027
BM—01DESIGN STUDY / 2026
Original preliminary CAD model of the Banu Mousa six-wheel rover and robotic arm
PRELIMINARY CAD MODELCONFIGURATION SUBJECT TO CHANGE
ENGINEERING TOGETHER. EXPLORING FURTHER.DISCOVER THE PROJECT ↓EST. AT KFUPM

+01 / THE MISSION

We build the rover.
The rover builds us.

Mechanical engineering, electronics and software are only the beginning. The real challenge is making them work together.

Meet Banu Mousa
THE PLANNED PLATFORM
06Driven wheels01
04Independently steered corners02
01Robotic arm03
01 / MOBILITY

Traverse.

A six-wheel platform designed around terrain, traction and control.

02 / MANIPULATION

Interact.

An arm and mission tools that connect the rover to the world around it.

03 / PERCEPTION & SOFTWARE

Understand.

Sensors, onboard computing and operator tools working toward informed decisions.

+02 / EXPLORE THE ENGINEERING

One rover.
Six connected systems.

Select a system to understand its role in the design. Each part contributes to the same mission.

PRELIMINARY CADBM—01
The team's preliminary six-wheel rover CAD design
CONCEPT OVERLAY · LOCATIONS ARE ILLUSTRATIVE
SYSTEM 01 / IN DEVELOPMENT

Move across uneven ground.

Six driven wheels and four independently steered corner wheels are planned around a rocker-bogie suspension for uneven terrain.

  • +Six-wheel drive
  • +Rocker-bogie suspension
  • +Four independently steered corners

06 WHEELS / 04 STEERING CORNERS

DESIGN UNDER DEVELOPMENT · VALIDATION COMES NEXTGo deeper into the rover

+03 / THE PEOPLE BEHIND THE PROJECT

Different disciplines.
A common direction.

Four committees. Shared interfaces. One engineering team.

How the team works
01

Mechanical & mission systems

Develops the chassis, suspension, drivetrain, arm, task tools and mechanical interfaces.

02

Power & embedded systems

Develops the power architecture, protection, embedded interfaces, sensor wiring and electrical integration.

03

Controls, software & communications

Develops rover control, perception, autonomous functions, operator software and communications.

04

System integration

Coordinates requirements, interfaces, design reviews and verification across the engineering committees.

+04 / FROM IDEA TO EVIDENCE

Built through iteration.

Our current work focuses on design review, component selection and integration planning. Fabrication, subsystem testing and full-rover validation are the next stages.

01

Understand

Translate mission needs and competition rules into engineering requirements.

02CURRENT FOCUS

Design

Develop and review the mechanical, electrical and software architecture together.

03

Build and integrate

Plan fabrication and connect subsystems through staged checks.

04

Verify

Test requirements and document evidence before mission trials.

DESIGN REVIEW & INTEGRATION PLANNINGFollow the development

+THE NEXT HORIZON

From Saudi Arabia.
Toward ARCh 2027.

The Australian Rover Challenge brings student teams together to develop rovers for simulated exploration tasks. We are preparing around Post-Landing, Site Preparation, and Excavation & Autonomy. These are intended task areas, subject to team readiness and competition review.

About the competition
AUSTRALIAN ROVER CHALLENGE
2027AU
18—21
MARCH

Roseworthy Campus
South Australia

PREPARING FOR THE CHALLENGE