Waveshare UGV Beast ROS 2 Open-source AI Robot Raspberry Pi Included is a powerful tracked mobile platform designed for robotics research, AI development, and autonomous navigation. Built with an all-metal off-road chassis, independent suspension, and dual-controller architecture, the UGV Beast AI Robot combines high-level AI vision and strategy with precise motion control. Equipped with ROS 2 Humble LTS, Raspberry Pi 4B/5, and advanced sensors including Lidar and depth cameras, the Waveshare UGV Beast offers developers, educators, and makers a flexible and expandable solution for real-world AI robotics applications.
Features
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All-metal tracked chassis with independent suspension for off-road stability.
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Dual-controller design: Raspberry Pi for AI vision and ESP32 for motion control.
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ROS 2 Humble LTS support, open-source demos, and tutorials for rapid development.
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5MP wide-angle camera, D500 Lidar, and OAK-D Lite depth camera for computer vision and mapping.
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Web-based control application: no software installation required, cross-platform browser access.
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Supports SLAM, 2D/3D mapping, and autonomous navigation.
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Expandable GPIO header and aluminum rails for peripheral integration.
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Supports natural language interaction via large language models.
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Compatible with Raspberry Pi 4B and Raspberry Pi 5, included in kit options.
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Flexible expansion: supports 4G/5G modules, gamepad control, and ESP-NOW multi-robot communication.
Specifications
| Model | UGV Beast PT PI4B/PI5 ROS2 Kit |
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| Dimension | 196.82×231.46×251.78mm |
| Weight | 2411 ±5g |
| Chassis height | 25mm |
| Pan-Tilt DOF | 2 |
| Pan-Tilt SERVO TORQUE | 30KG.CM |
| Pan-Tilt SERVO | ST3215 Servo |
| Host controller | RPi 4B 4GB / RPi 5 4GB |
| Host System support | Debian Bookwrom |
| ROS2 Version | ROS2-HUMBLE-LTS |
| Camera FOV | 160° |
| Power supply | 3S UPS Module |
| Battery support | 18650 lithium battery x 3 (NOT included) |
| Demo control methods | Web application / Jupyter Lab interactive programming |
| Default Max speed | 0.35m/s |
| Number of Driving wheels | 2 |
| Suspension material | Stainless steel |
| Track width | 40mm |
| Minimum turning radius | 0M (In-situ rotation) |
Application
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AI Robotics Research – Ideal for universities, labs, and developers exploring ROS 2 and autonomous systems.
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Education & Training – Hands-on platform for learning robotics, AI vision, and navigation.
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Smart Exploration – Off-road capability for outdoor mapping, surveying, and autonomous exploration.
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Industrial Applications – Expandable design for logistics, inspection, and automation tasks.
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AI Interaction Projects – Supports natural language commands, gesture recognition, and computer vision demos.
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Multi-Robot Collaboration – ESP-NOW protocol enables swarm robotics and cooperative AI experiments.
Part List
Outline Dimensions
Resources & Services
More Detail
Based on Raspberry Pi
The Waveshare UGV Beast ROS 2 AI Robot supports Raspberry Pi 4B/5, delivering powerful computing performance to handle complex tasks and offering more possibilities for ROS 2 development.
Dual-Controller Design
The host controller adopts Raspberry Pi for AI vision and strategy planning, while the sub controller uses ESP32 for motion control and sensor data processing, ensuring efficient collaboration and upgraded performance of the UGV Beast AI Robot.
Raspberry Pi ROS 2 Docker
Ensures advanced decision-making performance and system compatibility. The Waveshare UGV Beast ROS 2 AI Robot supports all AI functions of the previous AI Kit series products.
360° Flexible Omnidirectional Pan-Tilt
Equipped with a 5MP 160° wide-angle cameraUGV Beast AI Robot captures every detail for mapping and navigation.
Open-source ROS 2 Development Resources
Fully open-source demos for host and sub controllers, including URDF robot description, sensor data processing nodes, kinematic control algorithms, and remote control nodes, making the Waveshare UGV Beast ROS 2 AI Robot ideal for secondary development.
Integrates Various ROS 2 Mapping Methods
The UGV Beast AI Robot meets mapping needs in different scenarios with multiple ROS 2 mapping methods.
Multiple Cost-effective Sensors
The Waveshare UGV Beast AI Robot adopts multiple sensors with high practicality, supporting SLAM, navigation, and AI vision tasks.
Auto Exploration and Mapping
Using SLAM Toolbox, the UGV Beast ROS 2 AI Robot can autonomously explore unknown areas and complete mapping, suitable for unmanned applications.
Supports Natural Language Interaction
With large language model (LLM) technology, users can command the UGV Beast AI Robot in natural language to perform tasks such as moving, mapping, and navigation.
Web Console Tool
The Waveshare UGV Beast ROS 2 AI Robot provides a web console tool, allowing users to control the robot directly via browser on Android/iOS without installing extra software.
ROS 2 Node Command Interaction
Users can send commands via ROS 2 nodes or scripts to the UGV Beast AI Robot for operations such as moving, location tracking, and navigation, making it convenient for secondary development.
Gazebo simulation debugging
The Waveshare UGV Beast ROS 2 AI Robot provides a Gazebo robot mode and a complete functionality library for simulation debugging, helping you verify and test the system during early stages of ROS 2 development on Raspberry Pi. This simulation environment accelerates development for the UGV Beast platform and simplifies testing of AI Robot behaviors.
Continuing the adventure as night falls — Supports tactical extension
High-brightness LED light ensures clear images in low-light conditions for the Waveshare UGV Beast AI Robot. The kit also includes a 21mm wide rail and a 30KG.CM high-precision, high-torque bus servo for tactical extension, enabling advanced payloads and accessories for the UGV Beast.
Comes with 21mm wide rail and 30KG.CM high-precision & high-torque bus servo for tactical extension of the AI Robot.
Standard Aluminum rail
Includes 2 × 1020 European standard profile rails. The Waveshare UGV Beast ROS 2 AI Robot supports installing additional peripherals via boat nuts to meet different needs, easily expanding special operation scenarios for the UGV Beast.
Note: Only the rail, boat nuts, and M4 screws are included; other accessories should be purchased separately for the UGV Beast.
Supports driving in complex terrain
The tracked mobile robot chassis with independent suspension systems gives the Waveshare UGV Beast AI Robot stable off-road crossing ability, ideal for outdoor ROS 2 experiments using Raspberry Pi.
Easy To Control Via Cross-Platform Web Application
No app installation required. The Waveshare UGV Beast ROS 2 AI Robot can be controlled via a browser Web App on mobile phones, tablets, and computers. Supports shortcut key control such as WASD and mouse input on PC for quick operation of the UGV Beast.
WebRTC real-time video transmission
Adopts a Flask lightweight web application and WebRTC ultra-low latency transmission. Built with Python and easy to extend, the Waveshare UGV Beast ROS 2 AI Robot streams real-time video and works seamlessly with OpenCV for vision-based ROS 2 tasks.
Recognition, Tracking, and Targeting
Based on OpenCV, the Waveshare UGV Beast AI Robot supports color recognition and automatic targeting, one-key pan-tilt control, and automatic LED lighting. These features enable advanced AI Robot demos and are ready for extension in ROS 2 projects.
Face Detection: Automatic picture or video capturing
Using OpenCV, the UGV Beast AI Robot supports face recognition and can automatically capture photos or record video when a face is detected — a practical feature for many AI Robot applications.
Intelligent Object Recognition
The Waveshare UGV Beast ROS 2 AI Robot supports recognition of many common objects with the default model, enabling practical object-detection demos on Raspberry Pi.
Gesture Recognition: AI Interaction with Body Language
The Waveshare UGV Beast ROS 2 AI Robot combines OpenCV and MediaPipe to realize gesture control of pan-tilt and LED functions. With Raspberry Pi onboard, the UGV Beast supports intuitive AI interaction for ROS 2 projects.
Gesture control for photo taking
More MediaPipe Demos for Complex Video Processing
MediaPipe is an open-source framework developed by Google for building cross-platform multimedia pipelines. Integrated into the Waveshare UGV Beast ROS 2 AI Robot, it enables high-performance real-time video analytics on Raspberry Pi, supporting advanced AI Robot tasks.
Face Recognition
Attitude Detection
40PIN GPIO Extended Header
The UGV Beast ROS 2 AI Robot only occupies the UART interface of the Raspberry Pi GPIO for communication, while providing a 40PIN extended header for expanding more peripherals and functions. This makes the Waveshare AI Robot highly adaptable for secondary development.
Real-time Information Feedback
The Waveshare UGV Beast ROS 2 AI Robot supports real-time monitoring of operating status, providing developers with accurate feedback during ROS 2 tasks on Raspberry Pi.
Web Page Command Line Tool
Quick to set up and easy to expand, the UGV Beast ROS 2 AI Robot allows users to customize and add new functions without modifying front-end code. This makes the Waveshare AI Robot highly flexible for advanced development.
ESP-NOW Wireless Communication Between Robots
Based on ESP-NOW protocol, multiple Waveshare UGV Beast ROS 2 AI Robots can communicate without IP or MAC addresses, achieving multi-device collaboration with ultra-low latency. This enables swarm robotics and cooperative AI Robot experiments.
Gamepad Control for Better Operation Experience
The Waveshare UGV Beast ROS 2 AI Robot comes with a wireless gamepad, making control more flexible. Users can connect the USB receiver to a PC and control the UGV Beast remotely via the Internet. Open-source demos are provided for customizing interaction methods.
Supports 4G/5G Expansion
The UGV Beast ROS 2 AI Robot supports installing 4G/5G modules for scenarios without WiFi, enabling remote AI Robot control via Raspberry Pi and ROS 2.
- Tunneling services such as Ngrok, Cpolar, or LocalTunnel may be required to expose local network services.
realizes remote control across the internet
- Our web application demos are based on WebRTC for real-time video transmission.
- WebRTC (Web Real-Time Communications) is a technology that enables web applications and sites to establish peer-to-peer connection and capture optionally stream audio and/or video media, as well as to exchange arbitrary data between browsers without requiring an intermediary.
- We provide comprehensive Ngrok tutorials* to help you get started quickly and realize robot control across the internet.
* Provides the usage tutorials of Ngrok only, we do not provide any Ngrok accounts or Servers. You can follow our tutorial to open your own Ngrok service, or choose other tunneling services according to your needs.
Supports installing smartphone holder
If you have a spare phone, you can install it on the robot via holder as below, using the phone to create a hotspot for the robot and achieving remote control across the internet at a lower cost
* Comes with a smartphone holder with 1/4″ screw in the package
Cross-platform interactive tutorial Develop while you learn
supports accessing Jupyter Lab via devices such as mobile phones and tablets to read the tutorials and edit the code on the web page, making development easier
Rich Tutorial Resources
We Provide Complete Tutorials And demos To Help Users Get Started Quickly For Learning and Secondary Development