Dimensions:

• Length: 13cm
• Width: 10cm
• Height: 11cm
• Weight: 0.65kg

Features:

• Low latency h264 streaming with the RPi camera and gstreamer.
• 4WD skid steering with suspension, so it doesn't get stuck on tiny bumps.
• Remote control apps for Linux desktop and Android mobiles.
• On-board WiFi access point, or client mode.
• IMU with accelerometer/gyro/compass.
• High brightness headlights for night-time.
• Front and rear indicator and rear brake/warning lights.
• 4400mAh rechargable battery. Lasts at least a couple of hours.
• Onboard charging controller with in-video status display.
• 100% open source. (Well, except for the Raspberry Pi blobs...)

My design goal was to build a traditional rover with the following properties:

• Make full use of Raspberry Pi video hardware.
• Easy to build. With full instructions that anyone could follow.
• Reproducible. Using widely available commodity parts wherever possible, or else using totally custom parts with full schematics provided.
• Robustness. No exposed circuit boards or loose wires to get snagged on things.
• Portability. It can be thrown in a backpack to take it to places.
• Repairable/Reusable. Avoiding gluing or modifying parts wherever possible so that any part can be removed and replaced, or reused in another project.

I don't think PiRover will change the world, but it might be useful as an educational tool as it could be used as a jumping-off point for a lot of different topics: basic electronics, PCB design, laser cutting, embedded Linux, and software development for multiple different platforms. I haven't done a full costing but I think you could build a PiRover for under $150.

Have a look at the build steps below and check the files section for the detailed build instructions in PDF format.

Raw schematics can be found on Github:

• Plans: https://github.com/ali1234/pirover/
  

Control software:

• Control Server: https://github.com/ali1234/piroverd/
• Desktop Client: https://github.com/ali1234/piroverc/
• Android Client: https://github.com/ali1234/pirovera/
  

Other useful software:

• Headless shutdown from GPIO: https://github.com/ali1234/systemd-gpio

Software used to design it:

• Leocad for instructions: http://www.leocad.org
• Inkscape for laser cut parts: https://inkscape.org
• Eagle CAD v6 for PCBs - available from Ubuntu repositories.