Compatible Hardware
Built for every robot.
From $35 Raspberry Pi to Nvidia Jetson. Pre-built presets for popular kits, or bring your own config.
LeRobot / Hugging Face
SO-ARM101 ā Zero Config, Plug and Play
Connect your SO-ARM101. OpenCastor auto-detects it and suggests the right config ā follower, leader, or bimanual pair.
1. Install
pip install opencastor[lerobot]
2. Scan
castor scan # ā Feetech STS3215 board on /dev/ttyUSB0 # ā Detected: 1 arm ā preset: so_arm101_follower # Tip: connect 2 boards for bimanual preset
3. Configure
castor wizard --preset so_arm101 # Guides: follower / leader / bimanual # Writes so_arm101.rcan.yaml automatically
4. Run
castor gateway --config so_arm101.rcan.yaml # API live at :8000 # Send commands via WhatsApp, Telegram, REST
Uses Feetech STS3215 servos over Waveshare Serial Bus Servo Driver Board (CH340 USB).
RCAN profiles: lerobot/so-arm101-follower, lerobot/so-arm101-leader, lerobot/aloha-bimanual.
Supported Platforms
OpenCastor runs anywhere Python 3.10+ is available. ARM64 native.
Raspberry Pi 5
Primary target. Full Hailo-8 AI Kit support, OAK-D, CSI cameras, I2C sensors. Bookworm OS.
Raspberry Pi 4
Well-tested. All drivers and providers work. No Hailo AI Kit (use Coral TPU or USB accelerators instead).
Linux x86_64
Ubuntu 22.04+, Debian 12+, Fedora 38+, Arch. Full feature parity. Great for development.
macOS
macOS 13+ on Apple Silicon & Intel. Eligible Apple Silicon Macs can run Apple Foundation Models on-device; setup falls back to MLX or Ollama when unavailable. No GPIO/I2C (use serial/network drivers).
Windows
Windows 10/11 via WSL2 or native Python. Serial and network drivers work. GPIO requires WSL2.
Docker
Official Docker image with hardware pass-through. Docker Compose included. Supports GPU and USB device mounting.
AI Accelerators
Hardware-accelerated inference for real-time vision and on-device ML.
Hailo-8 / Hailo-8L
26 TOPS AI accelerator. M.2 module for Pi 5 AI Kit. YOLOv8 object detection at 30+ FPS. Primary vision accelerator.
Google Coral TPU
4 TOPS Edge TPU via USB or M.2. TensorFlow Lite models. Good for Pi 4 where Hailo isn't available.
Intel OAK-D (Movidius VPU)
On-device neural inference via Myriad X VPU. Depth + ML in one device. DepthAI v3 integration.
Nvidia Jetson
Jetson Nano, Orin Nano, AGX Orin. CUDA-accelerated inference. Best for heavy ML workloads.
Cameras
Vision input for object detection, depth mapping, and navigation.
OAK-D / OAK-D Lite
Stereo depth camera with on-device ML. Spatial object detection, 3D coordinates, obstacle mapping.
CSI Cameras
Raspberry Pi Camera Module v2/v3, HQ Camera. Native MIPI CSI interface for low-latency capture.
USB Webcams
Any UVC-compatible USB camera. Logitech C920/C930, generic USB cams. V4L2 on Linux.
Motor Drivers
Control servos, DC motors, and ESCs.
PCA9685 (I2C PWM)
16-channel PWM driver. Standard for hobby servos, ESCs, and DC motor controllers. I2C address 0x40.
GPIO Direct
Direct Raspberry Pi GPIO pin control for simple motor drivers (L298N, DRV8833) and relays.
Dynamixel (Serial)
Smart servo protocol for Dynamixel X-series. Position, velocity, and torque feedback.
HLabs ACB v2.0
Open-source 3-phase BLDC motor controller. STM32G474, 12Vā30V, 40A max, CAN Bus 1Mbit/s. Auto-detected via USB. Calibration wizard, 50Hz telemetry, firmware flash via DFU. pip install opencastor[hlabs]
SO-ARM101 / Feetech STS3215
6-DOF serial bus servo arm from Hugging Face LeRobot kits. Auto-detected by USB VID/PID ā castor scan counts boards and suggests follower / leader / bimanual preset automatically. pip install opencastor[lerobot]
Pollen Robotics Reachy 2
Full-size humanoid with dual 7-DOF arms and stereo cameras. Connects via gRPC over Ethernet/Wi-Fi. host: auto mDNS discovery ā no IP config required. pip install opencastor[reachy]
Pollen Robotics Reachy Mini
Desktop humanoid with 5-DOF animated head, speaker, and microphone. Same gRPC API as Reachy 2. Auto-discovered via reachy-mini.local mDNS. pip install opencastor[reachy]
Pollen Robotics Microduck
25 cm walking biped. 15 servos, camera, ToF depth, two IMUs, articulated beak ā driven by RL policies at 50 Hz. OpenCastor is an intent client over robotd's JSON-RPC socket, and turns a sentence into a sequence the duck can perform. One command: castor duck. Guide ā
Sensors (I2C)
Environmental awareness via I2C sensor bus.
IMU (MPU6050 / BNO055)
6/9-axis inertial measurement. Orientation, acceleration, gyroscope. Used for tilt detection and dead reckoning.
Environmental (BME280 / BME680)
Temperature, humidity, pressure, air quality. Used for safety monitoring and environmental data logging.
Distance (VL53L0X / HC-SR04)
Time-of-flight and ultrasonic ranging. Obstacle detection and proximity sensing for collision avoidance.
Pre-built Robot Kits
Tested presets for popular kits. Install a community recipe and go.
RC Cars (1:16 / 1:10)
Standard hobby RC cars with PCA9685 servo steering and ESC throttle. Most budget-friendly option.
WaveShare AlphaBot2
Tracked robot with IR sensors, camera mount, and Raspberry Pi HAT. Great starter platform.
Adeept RaspTank
Tank-style tracked robot with robotic arm, camera, and OpenCV support.
Freenove 4WD Smart Car
4-wheel drive with ultrasonic, line-following, camera. Robust outdoor-capable platform.
SunFounder PiCar-X
Smart car with camera pan/tilt, line following, ultrasonic avoidance, and speaker.
Adeept DarkPaw
Spider-style quadruped with 12 servo joints. Walking gaits supported.
STEM & Classroom Hardware
Found it at a thrift store? We've got you.
OpenCastor works with the most common robotics kits from schools, makerspaces, and STEM programs ā including second-hand parts. If you found it in a surplus sale, there's a good chance it just works.
LEGO Mindstorms EV3
The most donated STEM robot in the world. Runs ev3dev Linux. OpenCastor connects over SSH and drives motors + sensors natively.
LEGO SPIKE Prime
Newer classroom kit. USB-C or Bluetooth connection. Common in school donations from 2022ā2024 programs.
VEX IQ
Extremely common at school robotics program surplus sales. Smart motors with built-in encoders. USB CDC protocol.
Makeblock mBot
One of the most popular STEM kits ever made. Arduino-based Orion board, USB or Bluetooth.
Arduino + L298N
The universal DIY combo. Found at every makerspace and hackerspace. Any Arduino + any L298N motor driver.
ESP32 + Motor Driver
WiFi-native. Dirt cheap. Great for wireless robots. Tons of dev boards on eBay for under $5.
Elegoo Smart Robot Car
One of the top-selling robot kits on Amazon. Arduino-based, ultrasonic sensors, line following. Tons second-hand.
Freenove 4WD (Pi)
Hugely popular Raspberry Pi car kit. I2C motor driver, camera mount. Great community support.
Yahboom ROSMASTER
Popular ROS learning kit with mecanum wheels. Ideal for students moving from classroom to research.
Cytron Maker Pi
MicroPython-friendly RP2040 board from hackerspaces. Great for custom builds with salvaged parts.
šļø Where to find these parts
- š« School surplus sales and district auctions
- ā»ļø Goodwill and local thrift stores (especially near universities)
- š¦ eBay, Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist
- š§ Makerspace parts bins and swap meets
- š End-of-year FIRST Robotics / VEX program donations
Not sure what protocol your hardware uses? Check the hardware guide ā
Don't see your hardware?
OpenCastor is extensible by design. Write a driver, submit a preset, or request support.