![Om_Logo_2022.png](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/43769d_e886218940f64212a3a4b65c53ae1714~mv2.png/v1/fill/w_50,h_50,al_c,q_85,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,enc_auto/Om_Logo_2022.png)
![Cosmopilot_Logo_Square.png](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/43769d_810479bcdf85484fa0b402259e4408be~mv2.png/v1/crop/x_0,y_65,w_720,h_590,q_90,blur_2,enc_auto/43769d_810479bcdf85484fa0b402259e4408be~mv2.png)
​Cosmopilot is a navigation app that uses satellite topographical data to create safe and efficient paths for surface vehicles on other planets. It's essentially Google Maps, but for Mars!
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The inspiration for this project is the rapid increase in spacecraft launches and interplanetary plans. The app is for the "everyday spacefarer" who wants to travel on undeveloped planets.
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This project was a joint effort with myself and Andrew Prata.
![Cosmopilot_Screen_Iani_Nav.png](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/43769d_2319799b783d4b11b0f43f0e52645ee9~mv2.png/v1/fill/w_384,h_816,al_c,q_85,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,enc_auto/Cosmopilot_Screen_Iani_Nav.png)
System Design
The app is constructed using Google's Flutter platform, which makes it compatible with Android and iOS devices. The pathfinding is done by a modified implementation of Dijkstra's algorithm.
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This project was an entry into the HackRPI 2022 hackathon. While it may not have a practical purpose for the everyday user, it was a fun weekend programming exercise.
Data Collection
We used topographical maps of Mars from NASA orbiters to determine the terrain data. The images were then fed into a simply Python script which converted the color-bitmaps into a 2D occupancy matrix. These matrices are then used by the path planner algorithm.