Our Crowdfunding Groups
Who We Are
The New York University Tandon School of Engineering Robotic Design Team (NYU RDT) is the future of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA) Artemis Program fostered through their annual Lunabotics Challenge. A team composed of 77 members, of which 66 are undergraduates and 11 are graduates, spanning across 10 majors are challenged to develop an autonomous excavation and construction rover to perform construction operations on a simulated Lunar regolith surface. As part of the Vertically Integrated Program (VIP) in NYU, RDT provides a long term project-based learning course in which members participate in our multidisciplinary team for academic credit. Through this course, members gain hands-on experience with the NASA Systems Engineering process, industry standards, and the project management workflow in the engineering subfields while contributing to future Artemis Lunar missions.
The Competition
NASA Lunabotics Challenge is built off of NASA's Artemis Student Program. With their Artemis program, NASA seeks to return to the moon, with the goal of expanding the breadth of exploration on the lunar surface, establishing the first long-term human presence on the Moon, and using that knowledge to one day send the first astronaut to Mars. A substantial portion of this mission will consist of constructing structures on the lunar surface, whether it be to serve as protection against blast and meteoric debris during lunar launches and landings, to shade cryogenic propellant tank farms, or to provide radiation protection around nuclear power plants, among other mission critical applications. The goal of the Lunabotics Challenge is to design a rover capable of navigating the lunar surface, collecting lunar regolith, and using the regolith to construct a berm. Throughout the duration of the year, students bring their individual knowledge of project management, mechanical, electrical, software, and systems engineering to create a cohesive rover design. Since 2016, we at RDT have strived to continuously find and design innovative solutions to the problems faced by lunar explorers, learning and using those lessons to iterate and make improvements for each new robot. The team has ranked 2nd place within the United States and has won multiple awards. In 2021, RDT won 1st Place in Presentation and Demonstration, 3rd Place in the Outreach Project Report, and the Judge’s Innovation Award, and in 2023, RDT won the Team Spirit Award.
To effectively and efficiently complete our project lifecycle, NYU RDT utilizes the NASA Systems Engineering Guidebook when designing, building, and testing its system to ensure that the solution addresses the competition requirements and stakeholder’s expectations. Throughout the project lifecycle, RDT references the Systems Engineering V-diagram, an iterative graphical representation of a systems development lifecycle, to produce rigorous development lifecycle and project management models. RDT’s final system and its respective subsystems are thoroughly reviewed according to the Systems Engineering Process to minimize and mitigate possible points of failure and successfully deliver outcomes.
Outreach Plan
In addition to the competitive aspect of the team, RDT is immensely dedicated to the propagation of STEM within all communities. We partner with TechGirlz and host various online and in-person workshops for local middle and high school students, with the goal of serving as a stepping stone and sparking interest in the STEM field.
In collaboration with The Center of K12 STEM Education, RDT has been able to host multiple virtual engineering workshops for local students who don't have these opportunities at their schools. In these workshops, we introduced students to C++, Arduino, and Computer Aided Design. With K12 STEM Education, we were able to host these workshops to 200+ students spanning from New York City to New Jersey and Connecticut. Additionally, we hold in-person workshops and teach middle school and high school students about coding and wiring with Arduino in collaboration with WestLake Steam Symposium.
We also had the opportunity to teach young students in person this year. Collaborating with WestLake Steam Symposium, we were able to hold two sessions and teach young students about Arduino. One session was mostly younger Middle School students while the second had Highschool students. Both had never worked with Arduino before and were excited to learn how to wire and code with Arduino.
Our Goal
The Robotic Design Team wants to raise $5000 to help fund its various planned outreach projects alongside general funding for the robot for the upcoming academic year. The funds are used to design and manufacture a design in the Lunabotics Challenge, cover the cost of traveling to the in-person competition in Florida, and to expand our community outreach and inspire more students in tackling the challenges of the future. Any and all contributions are greatly appreciated, and if you’re more than welcome to contribute by providing equipment or expertise!
Thank you for your support!
Engage With Us:
Email: eng-rdt@nyu.edu
IG: @nyurdt
Website: nyu-rdt.github.io
FB: @nyurdt
Give a gift of $10 or more and receive a personalized sticker along with a handwritten thank-you note from the Robotics Design Team!
Give a gift of $25 or more and receive a laser cut keychain of our Team Logo, as well as all items from the previous perks.
Give a gift of $50 or more and receive a Team t-shirt, as well as all items from the previous perks. [Shirts have closed for this season, thank you to those who donated and claimed the perk!]
Give a gift of $100 or more and be listed as an individual sponsor for the event on our website, as well as all items from the previous perks.
Give a gift of $200 or more and receive a laser engraved Thank You plaque, as well as all items from the previous perks.
Become a Gold Sponsor by giving a gift of $600 or more. Your name, organization, or company name will be listed on our t-shirts and website, as well as all items from the previous perks.
Give a gift of $1000 or more and become a Team Sponsor! Your gift will sponsor an outreach event and the Robotics Design Team! Your name, organization, or company name will be placed on the Robotics Design Team's website, on the robot as a sticker, and on our t-shirts, as well as all items from the previous perks.
