The Armony Project: Hexapod Rover for Space Exploration

Over the past month, I have been independently developing a project focused on space exploration. I have proposed an innovative approach to investigate celestial bodies, suggesting the use of a hexapod rover in place of traditional wheeled rovers to explore the recently discovered tunnel complex system beneath the Mare Tranquillitatis lunar region. My proposal was accepted for presentation at the prestigious 75th International Astronautical Congress, held in Milan, Italy. At the venue, I presented this project, which garnered significant attention from a diverse audience.

Although this is a multidisciplinary project, I am thrilled to share at this event the creative aspect of it. The 3D stage was one of the most exciting elements I found myself working on.

I primarly used my laptop for all the purposes developed for this stage. Programms, such as:

Fushion360 and TinkerCad (For 3D Link visualizer feature)

Blender (To develop the main idea without fixed constraints)

FreeCAD software (To ground the main idea into real and functional prototype)

I began by conducting extensive research on hexapod rover designs and lunar terrain challenges, particularly the tunnel complex system beneath Mare Tranquillitatis. Using this data, I created initial primal shapes in Blender—basic geometric forms (e.g., cylinders for legs, cubes for the body)—to establish the robot’s structural foundation. This step involved sketching concepts digitally and translating them into 3D space, ensuring the design aligned with stability and mobility requirements for uneven lunar surfaces.

With the primals established, I refined their shapes in Blender by smoothing edges and adjusting proportions to enhance functionality and aesthetics.

I expanded the scene by creating supporting assets in Blender, such as lunar rocks, tunnel walls, and scientific instruments for the rover. This involved modeling these elements from scratch or modifying existing primitives, focusing on detail to enrich the environment. The assets were scaled and positioned to complement the hexapod, providing a cohesive backdrop for the animation and rendering phases.

I enhanced the model’s realism by applying detailed textures in Blender using the Shader Editor. This included adding dust patterns to the rover’s surface to mimic lunar soil, as well as intricate surface details to the assets. I used image-based textures and procedural techniques to ensure consistency, adjusting UV mapping to align textures accurately with the 3D geometry.

I arranged the hexapod and assets within Blender’s 3D viewport to construct the lunar tunnel environment. This involved setting up lighting (e.g., soft ambient light to simulate low lunar illumination) and cameras to frame the scene effectively. I also added environmental effects like fog to enhance depth, ensuring the setup supported the cinematic narrative of the rover’s exploration.

I rigged the hexapod in Blender using an armature system, assigning bones to each leg and joint to enable movement. This involved parenting the mesh to the rig and setting up inverse kinematics (IK) constraints to mimic natural walking motions. I tested the rig to ensure smooth articulation, critical for animating the rover’s navigation through the tunnel complex.

Using Blender’s animation tools, I created keyframes to animate the hexapod’s leg movements, simulating its traversal over lunar terrain. I adjusted timing and easing to achieve a realistic gait, incorporating loops for continuous motion. This step included previewing the animation to refine transitions, ensuring it showcased the rover’s agility effectively.

I selected optimal camera angles in Blender to highlight the hexapod’s design and exploration, such as dynamic tracking shots through the tunnel. I configured the render settings (e.g., Cycles engine, 1080p resolution, most of the times i prefered evee) and performed test renders to balance quality and render time. This produced high-quality visuals for the presentation, emphasizing the project’s innovative approach.

To integrate a 3D link visualizer feature i used an exported .stl model and use the link feature

For Tinkercad, used similarly to Fusion 360 for the 3D link visualizer feature with my exported .stl model