Subsystem · MECH
Chassis & drivetrain
Chassis, hardware enclosures, powertrain, suspension, and steering — CAD, 3D printing, FEA, and manufacturing.
Lead position openTaking members
The chassis is the constraint every other subsystem negotiates with. It decides how much mass, volume and power everyone else gets, how well the sensors stay pointed, and whether the vehicle finishes a run or breaks in the field.
What makes it hard
Terrain that is not characterized in advance means the suspension has to work for the general case, not a tuned one. Everything must be serviceable outdoors, with hand tools, quickly — a design that is elegant in CAD and unmaintainable at a competition site has failed.
What you’d get out of it
Full ownership of a real vehicle: design it, analyze it, make it, then watch it take abuse and find out what you got wrong. This is the fastest mechanical engineering feedback loop available on campus.
Tools
SolidWorks / Fusion 360 FEA (Ansys or SolidWorks Simulation) 3D printing, laser cutting, machine shop Campus machine shop and makerspace
Lead opening
Owns Chassis & drivetrain end to end — the technical direction, the schedule, and the people.
Subsystem lead
Own the vehicle architecture — the packaging, load paths and manufacturing plan everything else mounts to.
Member openings
Join the subsystem and own a piece of it. No lead experience needed.
Suspension & drivetrain engineer
Geometry, motor sizing and traction over terrain that changes under the wheels.
Structures / manufacturing engineer
Enclosures, brackets, and turning CAD into parts that survive a field day.