I had the opportunity during the second half of 2025 to be the lead designer for a new robotics platform geared towards providing the basis for a variety of engineering education activities. This project originated through some funding to develop an interactive activity to provide to teachers during the 2025 Rockin' Around New Mexico sessions. These sessions were hosted by the New Mexico Bureau of Geology & Mineral Resources.

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The activity that we developed for our Rockin' session involved developing a wheeled robot system using a FPV camera feed to allow the user to navigate a wooden maze while noting the fossils discovered along the way. The wheeled robot system that we developed for this Rockin' Around NM has received massive improvements since the event, though the system will always pay a tribute to its founding event through its name as the RockBot. 

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Shortly following the Rockin' Around NM event, our lab was asked to provide activities for the NMT STEM Experience camp relating to robotics. We brought out our wooden maze and RockBot system and let the campers navigate through the maze using goggles showing the FPV feed from the RockBot. We found that the RockBot could withstand continuous use, especially with a few minor improvements, and we decided it would soon be ready to add to our lab programs.