A fully open robot vacuum combines a Raspberry Pi, ROS 2, 2D LiDAR, and 3D-printed components, allowing users to build, customise, and repair the system while keeping all operations local.
Maker’s Pet has launched OOMWOO, an open-source robot vacuum cleaner that can be assembled using a standard desktop 3D printer and common electronic components. The project combines a Raspberry Pi, ROS 2, a cheap 2D LiDAR sensor, and the integration of Home Assistant creating a cloud-free robot vacuum, firmware, and software are all licensed under the Apache 2.0 license.
This cleaning robot uses ROS 2 Nav2 navigation stack installed on the Raspberry Pi to map and navigate using the LiDAR data. Unlike other robot vacuum cleaners that rely on clouds, OOMWOO works without connecting to any cloud services and gives the user full control of data and device operations. The project is being developed openly from the first commit, however, build instructions are not available yet.
The latest request-for-comments (RFC) milestone features a 3D printed chassis, ROS 2 Gazebo simulation, and manual SLAM-based LiDAR mapping. The computing platform is yet to be chosen and can be either Raspberry Pi 5, an ESP32 with micro-ROS, or both. Future milestones will include printable design files, firmware, a custom PCB, and BoM for more convenient hardware assembly.
The system follows a modular design, thus anyone who would like to help could pick any of the subsystems and implement changes and submit them as a pull request. While Maker’s Pet is planning to provide a convenience kit, every hardware component can be sourced separately and allows users to build the robot without purchasing the kit.
The project also highlights the benefits of locally controlled robotic devices. Operating entirely offline improves the security of such robots compared to cloud-connected robot vacuums while providing developers full control of the device hardware and software components.
