Design A was the first model that was brainstormed by the team. The drivetrain of design A consisted of four wheels with only two being maneuverable. Only the back two wheels, which are the maneuverable ones, would have motors to drive them. The chassis component was a plastic square body, a plastic square back, and plastic rectangular top that would be used to connect to the forklift. The antenna turning mechanism was the forklift located on the front of the robot, which would be used to push the corner of the satellite dish to rotate it 90 degrees. The core manipulating mechanism would be used to go beneath the core, lift it up, and pull the core from the volcano. The core would be deposited by driving up to the bin and then lowering the forklift to slide the core out of the forklift and into the bin. The forklift would also be used to flip the lava lever down.
Design B was the next model that was brainstormed by the team. Design B would have a drivetrain of four maneuverable wheels and a chassis made of PVC designed into a frame. All four wheels would have motors to ensure maximum maneuverability. The antenna turning mechanism was a simple vertical rod that extended upward from the top of the chassis and was utilized to push the satellite while driving forward. The core manipulating mechanism was a crane mechanism that would go over the core, grip it, and pull it out from the volcano. It would then deposit the core into the bin by simply releasing the core from its grip while over top of the bin. One flaw with this design is that it cannot flip the lever so another appendage would have to be developed.
Design C had the same core manipulating mechanism and antenna turning mechanism as design A, however, design C consists of a three-wheel design, with the back two wheels being maneuverable, and an aluminum, triangular body. The back two wheels would also have motors to drive the robot. The forklift could be used to press and hold the button down as well as flip the lava lever. The arm that the forklift is attached to can be used to turn the satellite 90 degrees. The aluminum body would provide weight to ensure that there is no slippage between the wheels and and the surface.