Colorado students tested mini rovers they created during a robotics challenge.

Degree candidates across the state participated in the annual event at Great Sand Dunes on April 12.

Footage shows the Martian vehicles rolling on an obstacle course set in the sand.

The course simulates the conditions scientists face while exploring Mars' varied terrains, including vast deserts, towering mountains, icy poles, deep canyons, and rocky plains.

Student teams reportedly employed engineering, physics, and geometry to build their own mini-rovers.

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) collaborates with Colorado's state colleges and universities to sponsor the Colorado Robotic Challenge every April.

The initiative aims to help students learn about and test the technology used to explore the surface of Mars.

Mars is known to have an incredibly harsh environment, with extreme temperatures, a thin atmosphere, and frequent dust storms, making it difficult for rovers to operate.

Despite these challenges, rovers like Perseverance, Curiosity, and Opportunity are continuously exploring the planet's surface, studying its geology, searching for signs of past life, and helping to prepare for potential human missions.