About CKW Robotics Lab
A personal collection of practical notes, reference architectures, and simplified calculation tools for engineers building autonomous ground robots and embedded Linux systems.
Project Purpose
Modern mobile robotics sits at the intersection of mechanical design, embedded Linux kernels, computer vision inference, and electrical power management. Finding consolidated, no-nonsense reference material without vendor marketing can be difficult.
This reference was created to document fundamental working principles, common failure modes, and first-principles calculations. “Lab” describes the exploratory format of open self-study notes, not a claim of a commercial research facility or factory floor.
Core Topic Areas
- Sensor Fusion: Time-of-flight LiDAR, 6-axis IMU dead-reckoning, wheel odometry, and Extended Kalman Filter state estimation.
- Embedded Real-Time Linux: Kernel configuration with PREEMPT_RT, latency benchmarking via cyclictest, memory pinning (
mlockall), and deterministic motor servo loops. - Edge Vision: Pipeline throughput from V4L2 capture to TensorRT INT8 neural inference, avoiding memory copy bottlenecks and thermal throttling.
- Power & Actuation: Battery C-rates, inductive motor spike suppression, wheel speeds, and single-link joint torque estimation.
Illustrative Reference Policy
Schematics, diagrams, and 3D rover renderings on this site are illustrative reference designs. They provide architectural clarity and demonstrate signal relationships, but do not represent turn-key certified hardware. Engineering assumptions must always be validated against actual measurements on real test equipment.
Project Changelog
- November 2026 · Update 1.2
- Added the Wheel Speed Calculator tool for mobile base sizing.
Published new technical note: Power Budget for a Mobile Robot (battery C-rate, DC-DC rail isolation, and peak current management).
Enhanced cross-article navigation, Open Graph tags, and mobile layout robustness. - November 2026 · Update 1.1
- Published foundational engineering guides: LiDAR & IMU Basics, Edge Vision Essentials, and Real-Time Linux Explained.
Added the Linux observation checklist and Robotics glossary in Resources.
Migrated to self-contained styling and zero external font dependencies for privacy and offline reliability. - October 2026 · Initial Launch
- Initial release of CKW Engineering Notes.
Added the interactive Simplified Arm Torque Estimator with static gravity calculations.