For many engineering students, the classroom is where the fundamentals begin. But for members of the Carleton Planetary Robotics Team (CPRT), learning truly comes to life in the workshop, during late-night design sessions, and out in the field testing a rover built from the ground up.
CPRT is a team of 50 students at Carleton University focused on building advanced planetary rovers for international robotics competitions. Each rover is developed from the ground up, requiring students to design and integrate a wide range of subsystems including suspension systems, robotic arms, onboard computing, power distribution, and autonomous navigation capabilities. Along the way, students face challenges such as balancing weight and durability, troubleshooting electrical and software integration issues, managing limited budgets and timelines, and ensuring the rover can reliably operate in demanding competition scenarios.
The rover design process is highly collaborative and iterative. Mechanical engineering students may focus on creating durable frames and mobility systems capable of handling uneven terrain, while software and electrical engineering students work on sensor integration, embedded systems, communication systems, and control software.
What makes experiences like CPRT so impactful is the opportunity for students to apply what they learn in lectures to real-world challenges. Concepts that might otherwise stay theoretical — systems integration, power management, robotics programming, and problem-solving under pressure — become tangible when students are responsible for creating a functioning rover that can perform in competition environments.
For many team members, extracurricular engineering projects bridge the gap between education and industry. Students learn how to collaborate across disciplines, manage timelines, troubleshoot technical issues, and adapt designs through trial and error. These are the types of experiences that not only strengthen technical knowledge, but also build confidence and prepare students for careers in robotics, automotive, aerospace, embedded systems, and beyond.
William Richards, CPRT’s outgoing VP External and incoming Software Team Lead, highlighted how valuable QNX’s support has been throughout the development process, particularly when it came to integrating new technology into the team’s existing rover systems. Beyond the technology itself, he emphasized the impact of collaborating directly with QNX developers and receiving feedback during CPRT’s design reviews, giving students real-world industry insight throughout the rover development process.
“We were close to scrapping Swerve Drive because of cost, but support from QNX made it possible. Integrating it gave the rover significantly more mobility and improved performance across every task.” — Jack Tremblay-Lessard, Mechanical Team Lead.
Supporting student initiatives not only benefits the teams themselves but also contributes to the broader engineering ecosystem. By investing in student innovation today, industry partners help create a pipeline of future talent equipped with practical experience, technical skills, and a passion for solving real-world problems.
If you’re interested in getting started with your own robotics, embedded, or real-time systems projects, download the free QNX Everywhere license and explore projects, resources, and starter examples on GitHub.
Whether you’re building your first prototype or contributing to a student design team, there has never been a better time to start creating.