PowerWheels Jeep converted into a modular robotics platform for autonomous vehicle development, hardware integration, and controls experimentation.
Developed through UC San Diego ECE/MAE 148 in collaboration with Triton AI.
JeepBot is designed as a scalable and reproducible robotics platform combining:
- Raspberry Pi 5 for onboard computing and control
- VESC motor controllers for vehicle actuation
- OAK-D cameras for computer vision
- LiDAR and additional sensors for autonomous navigation
- ExpressLRS controller integration for manual control and testing
The project combines electrical integration, embedded systems, mechanical design, and software development.
A major focus of this project was creating a clean, organized, and maintainable electronics architecture.
The system went through multiple hardware iterations:
- Initial full-scale architecture
- Designed around 5 VESC motor controllers
- More complex wiring system supporting multiple independent vehicle subsystems
- Simplified architecture using 2 VESC motor controllers
- Reduced wiring complexity
- Improved reliability and maintainability
- Redesigned to make the platform easier for future robotics students to reproduce, debug, and expand
The Version 2 redesign prioritizes accessibility while keeping the system expandable for future development.
Documentation for both versions:
docs/version1/
docs/version2/
The project includes development of a RadioMaster ExpressLRS controller interface for JeepBot testing and operation.
This allows manual control and testing during the development process while supporting future autonomous features.
Documentation and implementation:
docs/elrs_controller/
Control pipeline:
ExpressLRS Controller
↓
Receiver
↓
Raspberry Pi 5
↓
VESC Motor Controllers
↓
Motors / Steering
Sensor pipeline:
OAK-D Cameras + LiDAR
↓
Raspberry Pi 5
↓
Autonomous Processing Stack
CAD/
- electronics/
- mechanical/
- sensors/
docs/
- setup/
- version1/
- version2/
- elrs_controller/
src/
- jeepbot/
- camera/
- tests/
Technical documentation includes:
- Wiring diagrams
- Hardware revisions
- Raspberry Pi setup
- DepthAI/OAK-D setup
- ELRS controller integration
- Mechanical and electrical references
Main documentation:
docs/
Completed:
✅ Vehicle hardware assembly
✅ Electronics mounting and organization
✅ VESC setup and configuration
✅ Hardware architecture redesign (Version 1 → Version 2)
✅ Documentation consolidation
Ongoing:
- Continued software integration
- Sensor integration and testing
- Autonomous control development
- Future expansion toward the original 5-VESC architecture
ECE/MAE 148 — UC San Diego
Triton AI