ACADA Robotics offers a modular, ROS‑compatible hardware suite that includes the ROSRider control card, FXIMU3 inertial measurement unit, and ROS2RPI hat for Raspberry Pi, providing low‑latency motor and servo control, power monitoring, and high‑rate sensor data configurable via a single YAML file. Open‑source C++ drivers for ROS 2 Humble enable plug‑and‑play integration into research, education, and hobbyist autonomous robot platforms, with optional chassis kits for turnkey deployment.
Funding
Funding not disclosed
Founders
Product
Problem
Robotics teams often face fragmented, high‑latency electronics when trying to integrate the Robot Operating System (ROS) into differential or Ackermann drive platforms, which raises development cost and steepens the learning curve for educators and hobbyists.
Solution
ACADA Robotics delivers a modular, ROS‑compatible hardware suite that serves as the electronic nervous system for autonomous robots. The parametric ROSRider control card provides low‑latency (≈1 ms at 20 Hz, up to 200 Hz) motor, servo, and power monitoring, configurable through a single YAML file. The FXIMU3 inertial measurement unit supplies 1 kHz accelerometer, gyroscope, and magnetometer data for EKF/UKF state estimation. The ROS2RPI hat consolidates power, PWM, LIDAR, I²C, and serial switching for Raspberry Pi 4/5, eliminating external cabling. All modules ship with open‑source C++ drivers for ROS 2 Humble, enabling automatic host synchronization and plug‑and‑play integration. Users can retrofit existing robots or assemble a complete platform with the Caretta chassis kit, reducing hardware design effort. Comprehensive documentation and example code streamline deployment in research labs, prototype projects, and classroom settings.
Target Audience
Primary customers are robotics researchers, ROS 2 developers, and educators building autonomous platforms, as well as hobbyists seeking a plug‑and‑play ROS‑compatible control stack.
Features
- ROSRider V4 control card: dual‑motor and dual‑servo control, PID speed tuning via ROS, on‑board RTC, bus voltage/current monitoring, and vector command modes
- FXIMU3 IMU: 1 kHz raw sensor output, 200 Hz reporting, USB CDC virtual serial port (921 600 baud), and ROS 2 Humble drivers for high‑fidelity state estimation
- ROS2RPI hat for Raspberry Pi 4/5: software‑controlled dual I²C/QWIIC ports, PWM‑driven LIDAR power, serial port switching, and low‑profile fan cooling
- YAML‑based parametric configuration allowing rapid re‑targeting of differential or Ackermann drive robots without hardware redesign
- Automatic synchronization with the host system to minimize communication latency and ensure deterministic control loops
- Open‑source driver stack (C++) with ROS 2 Humble compatibility, enabling seamless integration into existing ROS ecosystems
- Modular kit options (Caretta chassis, complete robot setup) that include all mechanical and electrical interfaces needed for a turnkey ROS robot
- Secure, version‑controlled firmware updates and diagnostics accessible via standard ROS topics and services