OrphBot

OrphBot is a compact four-wheel robot with a front lifter. I built it as the example submission for Waypoint, my work-in-progress Hack Club YSWS program. It uses every component in the Waypoint kit and provides a complete reference project for participants.

A mini Terralift

The design for the robot was inspired by my previous robot Terralift.

Because OrphBot’s frame is fully 3D printed, I could build details directly into the enclosure. The five printed parts include a lower unibody, top plate, removable battery cover, button cover, and servo-mounted forks.

Hardware

• Four drive motors and a servo-powered front lifter
• 128×64 OLED display
• Six SK6812 MINI-E LEDs
• MPU6050 IMU
• 9V battery and a custom KiCad PCB
• Eight M3 bolts and heat-set inserts to hold the electronics and enclosure together

Electronics

The custom board brings the kit hardware together in one place. Its two-color top design, display, LEDs, motion sensor, and motor connections make it a useful starting point for a full Waypoint build.

Software

OrphBot runs ROS 2. It can connect to RViz, accept Xbox controller input, run simple pre-programmed autonomous routines, and display a fluid simulation on its OLED. The ROS 2 package lives in the OrphBot package repository.

Project files

The CAD, KiCad project, renders, and project documentation are in the Waypoint repository.