BY TOMISIN OLUJINMI -

MIKRIK V2 Robot Car is an entry-level, open-source robotics kit built for ROS and 3D computer vision

The MIKRIK V2 Robot Car is an open-source robotics kit for studying 3D computer vision and is compatible with both ROS1 and ROS2 software suites. The two-wheel-drive robot is powered by a Raspberry Pi 4 Model B (as a ROS1 differential drive controller) and a more powerful x86 or ARM single-board computer that can support ROS2 applications like the LattePanda Delta 3, Intel NUC, or NVIDIA Jetson Nano. The robot car uses the Intel Realsense D435i camera for 3D depth vision.

It is a less expensive alternative to the iRobot Create, Husarion, and TurtleBot, and compares favorably with NVIDIA’s open-source JetBot AI robot platform.

The robot car’s chassis is squared-off and made from shatterproof flex plastic. The CAD files are available on GitHub for self-assembly using a laser cutter and a 3D printer. The assembly and setup process is documented on the Hackster project page. On the software end, it runs a modified version of Intel’s ROS2 Robotics SDK, a software development kit optimized for developing AMRs (Autonomous Mobile Robots) on Intel platforms. The Intel SDK is configured on a Ubuntu 22.04 system and offers access to proprietary and third-party 3D-vision algorithms.

The onboard Raspberry Pi 4B runs ROS1 and is responsible for reading encoder output, controlling the motors of the robot car, and creating a DiffDrive interface. It is replaced with an Orange Pi Zero 3 in some kits. The MIKRIK robot car pairs the Raspberry Pi with another computer (such as the Jetson Nano, LattePanda, Up Squared 2, Intel NUC) capable of handling the “high-load computer vision tasks, SLAM, and navigation”, using a ROS1-ROS2 bridge over Ethernet.

The MIKRIK V2 open-source robotics kit is currently available for purchase on Tindie. You can buy the bare chassis for $40 or an assembled kit sans a host computer for $299. The complete, ready-to-run package is priced at $499 and includes the MIKRIK chassis, geared motors with encoders, an Orange Pi Zero 3 4GB model (instead of the Raspberry Pi 4), a LattePanda Delta 3 board, a 3-amp motor driver, an Intel RealSense D435i depth camera, and an Ethernet cable but no batteries or power supply.

Tomisin Olujinmi

Tomisin is a writer specializing in hardware product reviews, comparisons, and explainers. He is very passionate about small form factor and single-board computers.