DIY robot concept

How to build an indoor patrol robot with local video

Design stage. RoboHub has not built or tested this yet; performance figures are calculations or maker/seller statements.

Difficulty: 4/5 · Advanced
Build time: 40–240 hours
Skills: ROS 2 navigation, Local video and privacy controls, DC power and fault analysis, Mechanical integration
Tools: ROS workstation, Multimeter and current logger, Calibration target, Scale and test obstacles

A generic ROS 2 waypoint project: confirm arrival, stop and record a short clip on the local network, with notice and face blurring.

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Safety

Design value: test only under supervision in a separated area after qualified mechanical and electrical review.
Design value: use independent motor interruption, loss-of-link stop and latched manual reset. An app pause cannot replace them.
Design value: a power cut leaves kinetic energy. Verify braking and keep guards locked until independently confirmed standstill.
Design value: use a matched charger under supervision in a cool place. Remove the battery for transport and keep it out of hot vehicles.
Design value: initial testing is limited to 35 °C or cooler in shade. Warmer operation requires component data and thermal tests.
Design value: LiDAR alone does not cover overhangs or drops. Use physical barriers and keepouts; functional sensors do not establish a complete protective system.

Privacy

Design value: give visible notice to people recorded and explain purpose and retention. Disable microphones, blur faces before saving or streaming, suppress uncertain frames and mask private areas. Keep video on the authenticated local network with restricted access and bounded retention. Do not record covertly.

System diagram

Power

Design: Matched battery: Budget 11.1 V; Solid 25.6 V
Design: Main/branch fuses and regulated rails
Design: Independent motor power cut and manual reset

Control

Design: NC stops / wireless loss-of-link / thermal chain
Design: Local compute, app and logs
Design: Bounded real-time drive controller
Design: Restricted local video storage

Motion

Design: Four-wheel drive

Sensing

Design: Own USB/depth camera
Design: Robot pose / encoder / IMU
Design: LiDAR, depth and bumper

Design: Matched battery: Budget 11.1 V; Solid 25.6 V → Design: Main/branch fuses and regulated rails: Protected DC power
Design: Main/branch fuses and regulated rails → Design: Independent motor power cut and manual reset: Motor branch
Design: Main/branch fuses and regulated rails → Design: Local compute, app and logs: Regulated logic remains on for logs
Design: NC stops / wireless loss-of-link / thermal chain → Design: Independent motor power cut and manual reset: Independent hardwired cutoff; no Linux dependency
Design: Independent motor power cut and manual reset → Design: Four-wheel drive: Drive power / brake release
Design: Local compute, app and logs → Design: Bounded real-time drive controller: Timestamped bounded commands with expiry
Design: Bounded real-time drive controller → Design: Four-wheel drive: Velocity/torque control
Design: Robot pose / encoder / IMU → Design: Local compute, app and logs: Feedback
Design: Own USB/depth camera → Design: Local compute, app and logs: Local perception
Design: LiDAR, depth and bumper → Design: Local compute, app and logs: Navigation and sensor health
Design: LiDAR, depth and bumper → Design: NC stops / wireless loss-of-link / thermal chain: NC bumper direct cutoff
Design: Local compute, app and logs → Design: Restricted local video storage: Blurred 30s clips, identity/hash/acknowledgement

This is a generic indoor waypoint patrol design.

This is a generic indoor waypoint patrol design. Navigate to a reviewed point, confirm position and standstill, then record 30 useful seconds and transfer the clip over the local network. Architecture, arrival tests and performance targets are design values.

Budget starts with Hiwonder ROSOrin Mecanum-Standard plus Raspberry Pi 5 8 GB.

Budget starts with Hiwonder ROSOrin Mecanum-Standard plus Raspberry Pi 5 8 GB. Hiwonder states 277 × 212 × 166 mm, 2.66 kg, an 11.1 V 6 Ah battery, STL-19P D500 LiDAR and an Aurora930 Pro depth camera. The maker does not establish runtime, payload, maximum speed, emergency stop or charger details for this exact setup.

Solid is a separate custom 24 V encoder-Mecanum base with its own independent motor interruption, bumper, local compute and camera.

Solid is a separate custom 24 V encoder-Mecanum base with its own independent motor interruption, bumper, local compute and camera. Design values: 37.316 kg allocated mass, up to 0.4 m/s after loaded stops pass, and a 2 h mission target with 1 kg extra payload. These are not demonstrated results.

Design values: Budget planning effort is 40–100 h; Solid is 120–240 h.

Design values: Budget planning effort is 40–100 h; Solid is 120–240 h. Keep testing on a controlled separated route. No docking, public-area operation or completed installation is established.

Original and build

Independent comparison; no affiliation with or endorsement by the maker is implied.

Original robot	This build
LIMO ProMaker-stated educational mobile base with ROS support; exact configuration and included computer must be checked.	Design value: Budget uses ROSOrin Standard plus Pi 5 8 GB; Solid uses a separate custom base.
Jackal J100Maker-stated outdoor research base; it belongs to a different platform class.	Design value: controlled indoor route only; no outdoor equivalence.
Navigation and videoCommercial base capabilities depend on selected payload, drivers and integration.	Design value: Nav2 waypoints, confirmed arrival, stationary 30 s clips and local-network transfer.
Runtime and payloadUse each manufacturer’s exact model and configuration; values are not interchangeable.	Design value: Budget remains unestablished. Solid targets 2 h and 1 kg extra load, subject to route and thermal tests.
Price comparisonNo like-for-like delivered quote established here.	Dated candidate parts only; missing workshop work and required items prevent an equivalent complete-price comparison.

Live AliExpress prices for the BOM

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Sources and validation

Product claims, safety boundaries and the capture architecture are linked to their original sources. Marketplace prices remain live and may change.

Hiwonder ROSOrin maker specificationsMaker-stated kit matrix and common specifications, read 10 November 2026; computer is a separate variant choice.AgileX LIMO Pro maker pageMaker-stated comparison context; different configuration and inclusions.Clearpath Jackal documentationMaker-stated research-base context; no equivalence claim.

Design variants

FAQ

Has RoboHub built and tested this?

No. This is a design-stage plan. Acceptance targets, estimated hours and calculations are design values, not measured results.

Is the parts subtotal the complete build cost?

No. Dated candidate prices leave required unpriced parts, workshop work, labor, tax and delivery unresolved. Optional items are excluded from the required-parts subtotal.

Can the app replace an emergency stop?

No. Design value: independent hardwired motor interruption, loss-of-link handling and manual reset must work without the app or Linux.

Does the cheapest ROSOrin listing include a computer?

Not necessarily. Seller-declared selection required here: Mecanum-Standard Kit and Raspberry Pi 5 (8 GB), together. A Starter or no-computer price is not a substitute.

Can the depth camera also record the clips?

Test it first. Maker-stated Aurora depth mode is 640 × 400 at 12 fps; that does not establish RGB recording quality. Add the optional 5 V USB UVC camera only if the local RGB output fails the mission.

How is recording made visible and private?

Design value: visible notice, stated purpose, disabled microphones, face blurring before storage, restricted local-network access and bounded retention. Suppress frames when face masking is uncertain.

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How to build an indoor patrol robot with local video

Power

Control

Motion

Sensing

Versions

Parts

Budget

Solid

Steps

Budget

Survey a controlled indoor route

Fit retained sensors and bumpers

Validate independent motor interruption

Bring up low-speed odometry

Validate ROS 2 navigation and video

Record only at confirmed arrivals

Run route, energy and failure trials