LOTUS: The first generation Mars Rover from Green University of Bangladesh

The Green University Mars Rover Team from Green University of Bangladesh (GUB) is one of the four teams representing Bangladesh at the finals of the upcoming Anatolian Rover Challenge (ARC) 2025. The competition—scheduled to take place in Türkiye this July—brings together university teams from around the world who design and build next-generation Mars rovers.

This is a huge achievement for the Green University Mars Rover Team. They were able to reach the finals of this prestigious international competition despite it being their first time participating with no prior experience.

The purpose of GUB's Mars rover— named LOTUS— is to execute tasks, as would be required of an actual Mars rover on the Red Planet, such as performing scientific research, navigating autonomously, carrying out dexterous hand movements using a gripper, and solving real-world problems.

The Green University Mars Rover Team is divided into several sub-teams, each responsible for overseeing different aspects and requirements of the rover itself as well as the team in general, including robotic arm design, navigation and control system, science mission planning, electronics and communication modules, and management, media, and logistics. The multi-disciplinary team consists of students from various departments of GUB including Electrical Engineering, Computer Science and Engineering, Textile Engineering, and Business.

The team is been directed and mentored by Abdullah Al Masud, Research Engineer, Faculty of Science and Engineering, GUB. Al Masud had previously served as the software and autonomous team lead at the UIU Mars Rover Team in 2022 and 2023. The Team Lead for the Green University Mars Rover Team is Mahmud Hasan from the university's EEE department while Md Rahat Shahriar is the Vice Team Lead.

"(Participating at the finals of the ARC'25) is like a dream come true. Even five months back, when we started working with the team in a barren passage on the fifth floor (of the university), we couldn't even imagine having a rover five months later, let alone being selected for the finals," said Shahriar.

The Green University Mars Rover project received initial funding from GUB. As the final round of the competition approaches, the team is putting in its best efforts and preparing to represent both their university and country on an international stage.

Md Moshiur Rahman is a Campus Ambassador for The Daily Star from Green University of Bangladesh (GUB).