Space exploration has driven the development of robotic vehicles (rovers) capable of operating in extreme terrains; however, the high costs and complexity of aerospace components limit their direct implementation in local development contexts such as Guatemala.

Taking advantage of the country’s diverse geography—characterized by volcanic terrain, loose gravel, and steep slopes—this research proposes the design and structural validation of a functional prototype adapted to the national market, using accessible materials while preserving essential operational capabilities.

For locomotion, the Rocker-Bogie mechanism (Verma et al., 2017) was selected due to its recognized stability and ability to overcome obstacles up to twice the diameter of its wheels without requiring conventional shock absorbers. The feasibility of the design using ABS plastic was evaluated through stress simulations in Autodesk Inventor under its own weight, demonstrating safe structural behavior with a maximum stress of 0.0156 MPa, well below the material’s 20 MPa yield strength, a safety factor of 15, and a maximum elastic deflection of 2.14125 mm, consistent with its Young’s modulus of 2.24 GPa. These results confirm the technical and structural feasibility of manufacturing low-cost rovers in Guatemala, providing a scalable alternative for future applications in terrestrial exploration, geological research, and environmental monitoring.