OOMWOO PCBs: what, how and why
A module-by-module tour of the main board: compute, real-time control, power and the fail-safe design.
Read the write-up →
Early development · simulate today, hardware in design
Open-source robot vacuum you build yourself.
Raspberry Pi, ROS2 and 2D LiDAR. It maps your home and cleans on its own — fully local, no cloud, no lock-in. The firmware is open, so you can audit it and nothing leaves your home. 3D-printable and hackable.
Clean well
Hackable
Raspberry Pi
ROS2
Home Assistant
2D LiDAR
3D printed
ESP32 · Arduino
Apache-2.0
Reference design — roughly how it'll look
See it working
Short, unpolished clips straight from the simulator and the workbench.
The robot, designed to print 3D design
Base, enclosure and bumper each have a flat side to print on, built around off-the-shelf wheels, battery, fan and sensors.
Cleaning walls and tracking cleaned areas Simulation
Sweeps along every wall and obstacle once, and keeps track of what is already clean.
Automatic docking tests Simulation
Finds the dock by its beacon, then lines up on it with the LiDAR.
3D scanning a HEPA filter into CAD 3D design
Every part we buy is 3D scanned, so the chassis can be designed around it.
Where the build is
Built in the open, so here is the honest state of it.
Can I build one?
Not yet - you can simulate it today.
The chassis and the I/O board are still being designed. Nothing is hidden while that
happens: parts, CAD, schematics and code are all public as they land, and the
step-by-step build guide follows once the first bill of materials is validated on real
hardware.
Simulation90%
Drive it in Gazebo today - SLAM, navigation, teleop. No hardware needed.
Electronics: I/O board55%
Schematic in review, parts placed. The board outline waits on the mechanical design.
Cleaning software40%
Cleans along every wall and obstacle edge, and docks - in simulation. Whole-floor coverage is next.
Mechanical & 3D design30%
Printable base, enclosure and bumper designed, around metal-gearbox motors and simple printed gears. Mechanisms in progress.
MCU firmware10%
Serial protocol between compute and motor board merged and tested.
Updated 5 Oct 2026 · task-by-task detail on the RFC board →
Built in public
Long-form write-ups of what we're building, how, and why - including what didn't work.
Electronics
Mechanical design
How the 3D design gets made
Sourcing, 3D scanning and CAD - and why the Roborock-style mops were dropped.
Read the write-up →
Hardware bring-up
Wheels, fans and brushes on the bench
Motors, fans and brushes powered up one by one: pinouts, connectors and measured currents.
Read the write-up →
Software
How the cleaning algorithms work
Wall following, edge cleaning, docking and localization - the problems we hit and how we solved them.
Read the write-up →
Everything's open.
Print chassis, install software — or just follow along while it comes together.
Main repo
Goals, architecture, design research and the whole open build in one place.
Open on GitHub →
Install & simulate now
The dev environment is ready — install it and drive oomwoo-one in Gazebo (SLAM, Nav2, teleop), no hardware needed.
Run on real vacuum
No hardware to wait for — connect an off-the-shelf Proscenic M6 Pro to ROS2 as a placeholder robot and run the same stack on real hardware.
Follow tutorial →Under the hood
Not a sealed appliance — an open platform you assemble, understand, and modify.
Built by community, in parallel
The robot is split into independent modules (RFCs). Pick one, work when you want, open a PR.
Requests for Contributions
Grab a module — sim, mapping, navigation, docking, floor care and more.
See open modules →
Contributing guide
How the parallel, module-based workflow works and how to submit your PR.
Read guide →
Say hi on Discord
Ask questions, claim a module, and build in public with the rest of us.
Join chat →
Questions
The ones we get asked most.
Can I buy one?
Not yet. You can run it in simulation today, but the chassis and electronics are still being designed - see where the build is. Subscribe below to hear first when kits are available.
Will there be a kit, or do I source everything myself?
Either will work. A kit will be optional: the CAD, schematics, firmware, software and bill of materials all stay open, so you can buy the parts and print it yourself.
Can I try it without any hardware?
Yes. The dev environment runs in Docker - drive OOMWOO in Gazebo with mapping and navigation, no robot needed. Or run the same software on an off-the-shelf Proscenic M6 Pro.
Can I use an old Android phone instead of a Raspberry Pi?
That’s the plan: the phone becomes the robot’s touchscreen and its brain. The phone software doesn’t exist yet, so this spec is provisional:
- USB-C with USB OTG (host) support - the robot’s board connects to the phone over USB
- 64-bit Android - Ubuntu and ROS 2 need it
- 4 GB RAM minimum, 6 GB or more recommended. ROS 2 with mapping runs in 2 GB on a Raspberry Pi 4, and Android needs about 2 GB of its own
- A CPU faster than a Raspberry Pi 4 - most phones from about 2018 on
- About 8 GB of free storage
- It has to fit the phone spot in the robot (size to be announced)
Ubuntu with ROS 2 has already run on a Pixel 6 Pro. Newer Android versions restrict background apps, so expect a setup step or two. A Raspberry Pi CM4/CM5 stays the main option.
Does it need the cloud or an internet connection?
No. It maps and cleans locally, and nothing leaves your home. Home Assistant integration is there if you want it.
How can I help build it?
Pick a task from the Requests for Contributions board, read the contributing guide and say hi on Discord. Code, CAD, electronics and testing are all welcome.
Do you accept donations?
Thank you for asking! Money is not an issue, so I'm not looking for donations. The best help is spreading the word - tell a friend who would want one, share OOMWOO online, or star the repo. You can also subscribe below to hear when kits are available, or pick up a task on the RFC board.
What is the license?
Code is Apache-2.0. Hardware design files will use an open hardware license, still to be chosen.