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Independent robotics / Build log 01

REV. 07.26

Machines that map.Systems that learn.

Octara Robotics is a working archive of autonomous machines, control software, sensor tests, and the lessons between versions.

Explore Claude Bot View source
Currently buildingCLAUDE_BOT / AUTONOMOUS SLAM ROVER
Claude Bot, a compact differential-drive rover with a top-mounted RPLidar
CB—01ACTIVE PROTOTYPE
ROS 2 / HUMBLESLAM / ONLINE
Live occupancy map produced by Claude BotLIVE MAP / 01
FIG. 01 / CLAUDE BOT / RASPBERRY PI + RPLIDAR A1
INTELLIGENCEPRECISIONPROTECTIONBUILT IN THE OPEN
01FEATURED BUILD

Autonomy platform / Working prototype

Claude Bot

A ROS 2 rover built to map and navigate a home autonomously. Claude combines wheel odometry, LiDAR, a camera, and a carefully staged control stack in one compact platform.

Front view of Claude Bot showing its drive chassis, ultrasonic sensor, webcam, and LiDAR
BUILD / CB—01STATE / DRIVING + MAPPING
02WORKING STACK

From room to response

One loop. Four systems.

Claude turns physical signals into a map, exposes the machine state for inspection, and closes the loop with deliberate motor control.

01 / SENSE

Read the room

RPLidar scan · USB camera · wheel encoder ticks

/scan + /image_raw + serial
02 / LOCALIZE

Find position

Encoder odometry and tuned SLAM Toolbox parameters

/odom → /map
03 / INSPECT

See the state

Foxglove bridge carries mapping and telemetry off-board

ws://rover:8765
04 / ACT

Move with intent

Safety-gated velocity commands drive the differential base

/cmd_vel → motors
Occupancy grid captured while Claude Bot mapped an indoor room
FIG. 02 / OCCUPANCY GRID

LiDAR returns resolve into walls, openings, and free space as the rover moves through the room.

03BUILD MODULES

The robot is a conversation between nodes

Inside the build.

Each module has one job, one visible interface, and a status that stays honest about what is working today.

01DRIVING

Motion

motor_node.py

A clean differential-drive controller that translates ROS velocity commands into physical movement.

/cmd_vel → L298N
02STREAMING

Vision

webcam_node.py

A USB camera pipeline that publishes both raw and compressed image streams for remote inspection.

/image_raw + /compressed
03BRING-UP

Safety

safety_node.py

A sonar-gated command relay designed to stop forward motion when an obstacle enters the safety zone.

/cmd_vel_raw → gate → /cmd_vel
04PROCESS

The interesting part is the iteration

From bench test to room map.

The public build log keeps the sequence visible: define one behavior, prove it on hardware, integrate it into the stack, then test the whole loop again.

  1. 01
    DefineName the smallest useful behavior.
  2. 02
    PrototypeProve the signal path on the bench.
  3. 03
    IntegrateConnect the node without hiding failure.
  4. 04
    TestRun the machine in the room it must understand.
05LAB PRINCIPLES
01

Build the smallest testable system.

A working loop beats a perfect diagram. Prove one signal path, then add the next.

02

Document the failure, not just the fix.

The debugging trail is part of the build. It makes every revision faster and more legible.

03

Let complexity earn its place.

Every sensor, node, and abstraction has to make the machine more dependable.

Octara Robotics / Intelligence. Precision. Protection.

Robots, built in the open.

Octara is where physical builds, control code, and practical machine intelligence stay visible. The goal is simple: make autonomous systems that understand their environment and earn trust one revision at a time.

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