Engineering Design Course · January–May 2026
Autonomous Over-Terrain Vehicle
An autonomous Mecanum-wheel vehicle that united mechanical design, fabrication, sensor integration, and overhead-camera navigation in an eight-person engineering team.
- Role
- Project Manager
- Skills & Systems
- Onshape, FDM 3D printing, laser cutting, soldering, materials selection, Arduino ACEBOTT control, ultrasonic sensors, high-power motors, and LiDAR/QR-code localization.
Project Gallery
Photos & CAD
01 / 02
Finished vehicle
Autonomous OTV · Mecanum-wheel chassis, electronics, and four-fan fire-suppression arm
Vehicle Demonstration
Autonomous OTV in action
Download demonstration videoProject Narrative
For a University of Maryland engineering design course, our eight-person team was assigned a fire-suppression mission in a simulated hazardous landing area. We had to build an autonomous over-terrain vehicle that could reach a fire site, identify the flames, extinguish the target candles while leaving the middle candle lit, navigate obstacles, and reach the destination zone.
Design Process
We built a vehicle with a crane arm extending over the front of the chassis. Four fans were positioned to align with the four target candles, each with a downward-facing flame sensor to detect proximity to a flame. Foil-lined tubes around the fans directed airflow toward the targets and reduced the chance of extinguishing the middle candle. The team divided work across chassis design, the crane, electronics, programming, and testing. As project manager, I built the schedule, tracked progress, coordinated those groups, and resolved inconsistencies between their designs as the vehicle came together.
Autonomy & Control
The vehicle used overhead-camera QR localization to determine its position and heading, then used that information to navigate the arena. Flame sensors detected the candles beneath the crane arm, and the four fans activated together for suppression. Integrating navigation, sensing, and fan control required repeated testing of the complete vehicle.
Challenges & Iteration
Most of the team had limited experience with CAD and programming, so coordination and troubleshooting were major parts of the project. We revised the fan tubes and tested airflow to make the fans strong enough to extinguish the target flames without affecting the middle candle. On presentation day, heat from the flames softened the 3D-printed crane arm and caused it to sag. We corrected its shape and quickly wrapped the exposed parts in aluminum foil to protect them during the final run.
Final Design
The OTV successfully navigated the course and extinguished the four target candles in under five minutes. The project gave me experience integrating mechanical design, fabrication, sensors, controls, and autonomous navigation while leading an eight-person engineering team.