PUCRA (Polytechnic University of Catalonia Robot Association) is a student robotics association from the Polytechnic University of Catalonia, based at the Barcelona East School of Engineering (EEBE). Our mission is to compete at the highest level in robotics competitions and promote robotics through outreach and technology events.
Our journey in planetary robotics began in 2020 with our first participation in the European Rover Challenge, where we achieved 8th place in the remote edition. After that experience, our goal was clear: to return the following year and bring our rover to Poland. However, the aftermath of COVID-19 made teamwork extremely difficult. With many senior members graduating and no generational handover possible, the team was dissolved.
In 2022, a new generation of students relaunched PUCRA by returning to the VEX Robotics Competition, where the team had originally started. Competing again allowed us to rebuild the team, strengthen our engineering culture, and train new members in robotics development, teamwork, and project management.
By 2025 we were ready to return to planetary robotics. As a strategic step before rejoining the ERC, we developed PHOENYX-I, an autonomous rover for the SENER-CEA Bot Talent competition. The rover was built on a ROS2-based architecture and equipped with LiDAR and depth vision, integrating perception, navigation, and control for autonomous operation. The project earned both the Grand Prize and the Design Award, validating the strength of our rebuilt team and marking the rebirth of our rover program.
Building on this experience, we are now developing PHOENYX-II, a new rover platform designed specifically for the ERC. The system features a 4-wheel swerve drive, rocker suspension, a lightweight aluminum-carbon fiber structure, and a ROS2 architecture running on an NVIDIA Jetson platform for advanced perception and navigation.
PHOENYX-II represents more than a rover: it symbolizes the rebirth of our ERC project and our ambition to compete at the highest level of university space robotics. With a strengthened team, proven engineering experience, and the support of partners such as Mitsubishi Electric, Schneider Electric, Mecalux, Motedis, Bossard, Traco Power, ODrive, Boant, StepperOnline, and ZackFactory, PUCRA returns to the ERC ready to push the limits of student-led planetary robotics.