ROS weekly: q8 quadruped, Polka v0.5 lidar, ROSCon Japan next week
A $50 ROS 2 arm, an ESP32 quadruped, and a smarter lidar node...
ROSCon Japan kicks off next week in Tsukuba (Aug 4-5), showcasing robotics projects across Japan. Meanwhile, ROS By-The-Bay is set for Thursday, August 13th at the InOrbit Robot Space in Mountain View. Speakers include InOrbit CEO Florian Pestoni, ROS developer Andrew Symington teasing the new ROS Central Registry, and Ramon Yvarra, who built a working Johnny 5 replica running ROS.
For hands-on builders, a new tutorial shows how to assemble a 6-DOF (5+1 gripper) robotic arm with ROS 2 and an ESP32 for under $50, including CAD files. The q8 robot is another standout: a dead-simple open-source quadruped built from eight Dynamixel servos, a battery, BMS, and an ESP32. It doesn't run ROS 2 yet, but microROS support on ESP32 makes porting straightforward.
On the software side, Polka v0.5 is now out. This ROS node consolidates 2D/3D lidar processing into one package—merging point clouds, detecting sensor sync/drop issues, filtering, QoS configuration, and deskewing data through a single interface. Other news includes Agency Tool Company's OTA update push, a US government ban on foreign-made humanoids and robot dogs, and Gemini Robotics 2 bringing whole-body intelligence to robots.
- ROSCon Japan happens Aug 4-5 in Tsukuba; ROS By-The-Bay follows Aug 13 in Mountain View with InOrbit's CEO and ROS Central Registry preview
- q8 is an open-source quadruped using 8 Dynamixel servos, a battery, BMS, and ESP32—microROS-ready for ROS 2
- Polka v0.5 merges 2D/3D lidar processing including point cloud fusion, QoS control, and deskewing in one ROS node
Why It Matters
Low-cost open-source robots and streamlined lidar processing lower entry barriers for developers building and deploying ROS-based systems.