Case Studies
RK3576 AI Robotic Mower: AI Vision, RTK Navigation and Motor Control ODM Solution
Sep
Introduction
As robotic lawn mowers move toward more intelligent and autonomous operation, traditional navigation and control architectures are increasingly unable to meet the requirements of outdoor environments.
For a recent robotic mower ODM project, KICKPI developed an embedded control solution based on Rockchip RK3576, integrating AI vision, GNSS/RTK positioning, wireless connectivity, and MCU-based motor control into a compact robotic control platform.
The solution is designed for applications such as residential gardens, parks, golf courses, and large outdoor properties, providing a hardware foundation for autonomous navigation, obstacle detection, remote management, and automated charging.
Project Overview
| Product | AI Robotic Lawn Mower |
|---|---|
| Main Processor | Rockchip RK3576 |
| Operating System | Linux / Ubuntu |
| Project Type | Custom Board ODM |
| Key Technologies | AI Vision, GNSS, RTK, Motor Control |
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi / 4G |
| Applications | Gardens, Parks, Golf Courses, Outdoor Properties |
The main design objective was to create an integrated computing and control platform capable of handling AI vision processing, positioning, communication, navigation, and system management, while an independent MCU handles real-time motor and safety control.
RK3576-Based Robotic Mower Architecture
The system uses the RK3576 as the main application processor and combines it with camera modules, GNSS/RTK, wireless communication, and an MCU.
RK3576 handles:
- AI vision processing
- Navigation algorithms
- Image and sensor data processing
- Wi-Fi / 4G communication
- Cloud connectivity
- Remote OTA updates
- System-level application control
The MCU is responsible for real-time control functions, including:
- Drive motors
- Blade motor
- Encoder feedback
- Motor protection
- Safety control
This architecture separates high-level AI and navigation processing from real-time motor control, making the system more suitable for autonomous outdoor robotics.
Key Engineering Challenges
1. AI Vision in Outdoor Environments
Outdoor robotic mowers operate under constantly changing lighting and environmental conditions.
The vision system needs to handle:
- Strong sunlight
- Shadows
- Nighttime operation
- Grass textures
- Fallen leaves
- Stones and other obstacles
- Pets and pedestrians
Therefore, camera integration requires careful consideration of HDR, ISP tuning, lens selection, exposure control, and low-light performance.
The RK3576 platform provides the computing foundation for integrating AI vision algorithms with the robot’s navigation and obstacle-detection system.
2. GNSS and RTK Positioning
For autonomous mowing, accurate positioning is important for navigation and route planning.
The system integrates GNSS + RTK to support high-precision outdoor positioning.
During the hardware design stage, several factors need to be considered:
- GNSS interface design
- Antenna placement
- RF interference
- GNSS and 4G coexistence
- RTK data communication
- Power and signal integrity
This allows the robotic mower to combine positioning data with visual and sensor information for autonomous navigation.
3. Motor and Power Control
Unlike standard embedded devices, robotic mowers need to control both drive motors and high-power blade motors.
Blade motors can generate significant current during startup or when the blade is blocked. The control system therefore needs appropriate protection and monitoring mechanisms.
The custom board design considers:
- Over-current detection
- TVS protection
- EMI considerations
- Motor back-EMF protection
- Power protection
- Motor status monitoring
The MCU handles these real-time control and protection functions while the RK3576 focuses on higher-level computing and navigation.
Integrated ODM Solution
The final architecture combines:
RK3576 + AI Vision + GNSS/RTK + Wireless Connectivity + MCU Motor Control
into a unified robotic control platform.
This approach reduces the need for multiple independent controllers and communication modules while providing a scalable hardware foundation for additional features such as:
- Autonomous navigation
- Obstacle detection
- Automatic charging
- Mobile APP control
- Cloud management
- Remote OTA updates
- Battery monitoring
For robotic equipment manufacturers, the architecture can also be further customized according to camera configuration, positioning requirements, motor specifications, communication interfaces, enclosure size, and software requirements.
From Development Board to Custom Robotic Controller
This project demonstrates how a high-performance RK3576 embedded platform can be adapted from a general-purpose computing platform into a dedicated controller for outdoor robotics.
By combining AI vision, RTK positioning, wireless communication, and real-time MCU control, the solution provides a hardware foundation for next-generation autonomous lawn mowers and other outdoor mobile robots.
KICKPI provides hardware and software ODM services for embedded robotics applications, including custom PCB design, processor selection, peripheral integration, BSP development, Linux/Ubuntu support, prototype development, testing, and mass production.
