Aurora Robotics

The Aurora Robotics Team

I am the leader of the Aurora Robotics Team (the student-led group associated with the lab). We are a group of students who work together on various robotics projects and competitions. One of our notable involvements is in NASA's academic challenges, such as the 2025 eXploration Habitat (X-Hab) Innovation Challenge, where we designed and built robotic systems for robotic lunar construction. Our team currently includes a mix of engineering, computer science, and other STEM majors.

Our projects often address real-world challenges in environments where human operation is limited or dangerous. We provide hands-on experience for students in research, design, testing, and leadership within the field of robotics.

Our Godot 4 Robot Simulation LUMINSim

I am currently in charge of developing a lunar mining and construction simulator in the Godot 4 game engine. It designed to simulate robots in lunar environments.

The simulator is being developed to test the performance of robotics systems in handling tasks such as lunar surface navigation, construction, and mining. The simulator is used to experiment with different robotic tools, evaluate control strategies, and simulate interactions between autonomous systems.

Going forward, we hope to make LUMINSim available for everyone to play so that we can simulate a real lunar economy. LUMINSim is available to play on the web here as of August 8th, 2025. Alternatively, download the pre-release executable for Windows, Linux, or Android systems and give the simulator a try!