•  
  •  
 

PACKBOT HARDWARE RETROFITTING AND MODERNIZATION WITH ROS 2**

Abstract

A fundamental disparity exists in robotics between the decades-long lifespan of mechanical hardware and the rapid obsolescence of computational control systems. The iRobot PackBot exemplifies this issue, where a tactically proven chassis is often rendered inert by proprietary electronics that are difficult to interface with modern research tools. This work addresses that technological divide by completely decoupling the platform's enduring kinematics from its legacy processing architecture. The methodology involves the removal of the original internal PCB assembly, retaining only the high-torque track and flipper actuators. A custom embedded interface is developed to anchor these motors to modern Microcontroller Units (MCUs), integrating a contemporary control architecture into the chassis. Simultaneously, the research revitalizes the platform’s external modularity, reverse engineering the connections necessary to support payloads such as the manipulator arm. By unifying this retrofitted hardware under the Robot Operating System 2 (ROS 2) middleware, the project establishes a reproducible framework for upgrading industrial-grade robotics, transforming them into dynamic, open-source testbeds for embedded control and robotics experimentation.

This document is currently not available here.

Share

COinS