Waveshare UGV Rover

Waveshare UGV Rover

The Waveshare UGV Rover is an open-source 6-wheel 4WD AI robot platform built around a dual-controller architecture. An ESP32-WROOM-32 handles real-time motion control, sensor fusion, and motor driving, while a Raspberry Pi 4B or 5 serves as the host computer for AI workloads, computer vision, and ROS2 integration.

Architecture

The dual-controller design cleanly separates concerns: the ESP32 sub-controller manages motors (via TB6612FNG), reads encoders, processes IMU data (QMI8658C + AK09918C), monitors battery voltage (INA219), and handles ESP-NOW wireless communication. The Raspberry Pi host runs Debian Bookworm with ROS2 Humble LTS, OpenCV, MediaPipe, and a Flask-based web control interface with WebRTC video streaming.

Mechanical Design

The all-metal chassis features 6 wheels (80mm diameter, 42.5mm width) in a 4WD configuration with zero-radius turning capability. An optional 2-DOF pan-tilt module uses ST3215 bus servos (30 kg.cm torque) with IMU-based stabilization. The chassis includes two 1020 European aluminum profile rails and a multi-functional mounting plate with M2.5 holes for LIDAR modules (D500, STL27L) and other peripherals.

Computer Vision

The 5MP ultra-wide-angle camera (160 degree FOV) enables color recognition, face detection with auto photo/video capture, object recognition, gesture recognition via MediaPipe, and vision-based line tracking for autonomous driving. All vision features are accessible through Jupyter Lab or the web interface.

Communication

Beyond standard WiFi and Bluetooth, the ESP-NOW protocol enables robot-to-robot wireless communication with approximately 100-microsecond latency, supporting leader-follower formations and swarm behaviors. The web application provides control without installing any software, and a wireless gamepad is included.

Power System

A 3S UPS module accepts three 18650 lithium batteries (sold separately) with INA219-based real-time voltage and current monitoring. An XH2.54 interface allows connection of larger external battery packs. The system supports 7-13V input.

GPIO & Expansion

The 40-pin Raspberry Pi-compatible header provides full GPIO access. The ESP32 exposes motor control (PWM on GPIO25/26), encoder inputs (GPIO34/35, GPIO16/27), I2C bus (GPIO32 SDA, GPIO33 SCL), servo UART (GPIO18 RX, GPIO19 TX), and LED/PWM outputs (GPIO4, GPIO5). An SD card slot and OLED display (SSD1306, 128x64) are also onboard.

Software Ecosystem

The open-source firmware supports Arduino IDE, ESP-IDF, and MicroPython for the ESP32 sub-controller. The Raspberry Pi host supports ROS2, Python, OpenCV, and MediaPipe. Interactive programming is available through Jupyter Lab (port 8888), and the web control interface runs on port 5000.