Aion Robotics built the R1, an autonomous rover for education and research, around a RoboClaw motor controller driving four 40:1 gear motors. The R1 shipped in a Pixhawk autopilot version and an NVIDIA Jetson version running ROS, could be driven by RC or from ground control software, and ran for over three hours on a 14.8V 5.2Ah battery.
Aion Robotics, a developer of autonomous robotics platforms, released the R1 rover in 2019 with a RoboClaw motor controller at the heart of its drivetrain. The R1 was an autonomous rover designed for educational and research tasks. It came in two versions: one built around the Pixhawk autopilot system and another built around the NVIDIA Jetson platform running the Robot Operating System (ROS). The rover could be operated remotely with an RC system or from the ground control software available for the platform, which was used to plan and execute autonomous missions and ran on desktops and laptops as well as iOS and Android devices.
How Was the R1 Autonomous Rover Built?
The R1’s chassis was built from sturdy aluminum and kept all of the electronics safe from the elements. The drivetrain consisted of four 40:1 direct drive gear motors controlled by the fully programmable RoboClaw motor controller. A 14.8V 5.2Ah battery powered the whole rover and provided a run time in excess of three hours. In addition to the built-in functionality of the R1, a variety of sensors could be attached to the robot and their data reported back to the ground control software.
Key Features
- Four 40:1 direct drive gear motors controlled by a RoboClaw motor controller
- Pixhawk autopilot version or NVIDIA Jetson version running ROS
- RC operation or autonomous missions planned in ground control software on desktop, iOS, and Android
- Weather-resistant aluminum chassis
- 14.8V 5.2Ah battery with over three hours of run time
- Expandable sensor payload with data reported to the ground control software
The video below shows the R1 in action.
Next Steps
We thank the team at Aion Robotics for choosing the RoboClaw motor controller for the R1. Aion has since moved on to larger autonomous site management vehicles, the M6 and L4, which you can read about on the Aion Robotics website.
To build an autonomous rover like the R1, start with a RoboClaw motor controller sized for your motors; Motor Controller Selection explains how to choose one. RoboClaw RC Controlled Differential Drive Setup covers driving a skid-steer rover from an RC transmitter, and Packet Serial with the Raspberry Pi 3 shows how an onboard computer commands the RoboClaw over serial.
