Developing modern uncrewed systems is simplified by splitting the development process. Using an off-the-shelf evaluation system permits the software development team to work independently of the hardware. The Arduino Alvik is an affordable and versatile base for tracked vehicles backed by a large community, leading to a smoother development experience.

In the case of the Alvik, the high versatility of the hardware should influence a purchase decision positively. The front of the robot can be expanded using both Lego Technics and generic M3 screws. Custom hardware mounts to the top, ensuring the prototype is similar to a production system based on the finalized drivetrain.

In addition, the robot provides a variety of sensors out of the box. The figure shows what options are available. 

Locomotion is achieved by two wheels on the side of the board, which - of course - can be controlled independently of one another to permit a jaw-type hinging motion.

A standardized development environment accelerates robot prototyping

Arduino's ESP32 core is an excellent and very stable development environment. Arduino sketches can use the full power of the underlying ESP32 environment. In the case of the Alvik, an Arduino Nano ESP32 board provides computing power.

Its U-Blox Nora W106 module uses a central processing unit containing an ESP32 - S3 core. This means that acceleration engines for artificial intelligence algorithms are available, ensuring that autonomous payloads are not limited by the computing power available to the robot.

In addition to that, the module supports both Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, thereby enabling simple harvesting of information gathered during robot operations. Finally, the robot connects to the Arduino cloud. Rich user interfaces can thus be created to simplify the work of engineers testing the robot in the field.

Simple interaction with the hardware

Machine learning engineers are usually highly qualified in Python. The Arduino developer team provides the arduino-alvik-mpy library, which enables access to the hardware found on the robot. The Arduino Alvik will be backed up by a wide array of tutorials illustrating the operation of autonomous systems.

An affordable approach to robotics

Tracked vehicle prototypes should be affordable, as the life of tracked vehicles involves the occasional hull loss. In the case of Alvik, the cheap price compares favorably to custom designs, which tend to be significantly more expensive.

Conclusion

If an autonomous vehicle based on a tracked or wheeled design is to be developed, the Alvik should be used to verify software operations. Software and hardware development can take place concurrently, reducing the time to market. In addition, the availability of educational resources means that engineers unfamiliar with tracked-vehicle operations can be brought up to speed quickly.