mk-ros

A 'low-cost' do-it-yourself robotic plattform project.

mk-ros is a low-cost robotic platform —as low as it can get— based on the popular mBot Ranger developed by Makeblock. The original robot has been expanded to use more sensors, (a 2D-Lidar and a Depth-Camera) as well as more computational power. The whole purpose of the project is to develop an educational platform that works with the ROS environment.

Caster-wheel setup

View of the Intel Realsense depth camera

Matek regulator with double output

SLAMTEC Rplidar A1

Close-up of the Up Board and Arduino

Floureon battery

Wire salad

The pictures above show the robot setup that has worked best so far, by using a caster wheel. An older version of the robot used tracked wheels:

Alternative setup with tracked wheels

How to follow this guide

In this guide you will find the steps necessary to assemble your own mk-ros robot. First, make sure whether you want to spend a bunch of time and money. We tried to document with as much detail as possible, but some details will be missing. Check the hardware components section to get an idea of how much money you will have to invest.

In the hardware section you will find a description of the components and how to assemble them. If you find more suitable components to the ones posted here, let us know. In the Software section you will find an explanation on the software packages that you need to set on the mk-ros robot.