Summary
Ragnarhorn (named after Ragnarok, the apocalyptic event from Norse mythology, and the Texas Longhorn, our UT Austin mascot) is a high-speed off-road research platform designed to operate where terrain variability pushes robotics systems to their limits. Powered by a NVIDIA Jetson Thor, it uses LiDAR-inertial odometry for state estimation and an onboard depth camera for real-time terrain mapping. We are currently developing a terrain-aware control system that integrates perception directly into motion planning, with the goal of achieving fully autonomous navigation across aggressive, unstructured environments.
System Components
Ragnarhorn is built from a Traxxas X-Maxx chassis, upgraded with a Castle Mamba X ESC and sensored motor for improved telemetry and controllability. A RadioMaster MT12 transmitter communicates through an ExpressLRS ER6 receiver and Castle Serial Link, enabling reliable teleoperation. The Jetson Thor can also issue drive commands directly to the ER6 via USB-to-UART, allowing seamless switching between manual and autonomous control.
The sensing suite includes a MicroStrain 3DM-GX5 IMU, an Intel RealSense RGB-D camera, and a Livox LiDAR with integrated IMU. Unified within a ROS 2 workspace, these sensors provide localization, mapping, and real-time terrain height estimation.
Technical Contributions
- Lead software developer and systems engineer.
- Integrated motor, ESC, serial interface, and radio to support both teleoperation and onboard control from the Jetson Thor.
- Installed and configured IMU, camera, and LiDAR drivers for reliable sensor streaming.
- Designed a modular ROS 2 workspace to manage bring-up and real-time operation of all subsystems.
Additional Details
- Code release coming soon!