OpenCastor
The Universal Runtime for
Physical AI.
Give any robot a brain. Semantic perception with local embeddings, 13+ AI providers,
HLabs ACB · LiDAR · IMU · depth cameras · reactive obstacle avoidance. One config file. Zero lock-in.
curl -sL opencastor.com/install | bash Architecture
Tiered Cognitive Architecture
Three layers of intelligence — from reflexive safety to long-horizon planning. Each tier runs independently with automatic fallback.
Planner
Long-horizon reasoning, task decomposition, and strategic planning. Claude, GPT-4.1, Gemini.
Fast Brain
Real-time perception and quick decisions. Open-source models via HuggingFace, Ollama, or llama.cpp.
Reactive Layer
Hardware-level safety reflexes, emergency stop, collision avoidance. No AI latency — pure code.
Features
Everything you need to build
intelligent robots.
From vision to safety, from hardware drivers to community configs — it's all here.
Plug-and-Play Peripherals
Any USB camera, depth sensor, LiDAR, IMU, or motor controller works out of the box. OpenCastor auto-detects hardware at startup — no driver code required. Run castor scan to see everything connected.
Vision & Depth, Your Way
V4L2 USB cameras, CSI ribbon cameras, OAK-D stereo depth, Intel RealSense, Hailo-8 NPU acceleration — set camera: type: auto and OpenCastor picks the best available hardware. Swap it at any time.
Safety & AI Accountability
Multi-layered safety kernel: anti-subversion defense, work authorization, physical bounds enforcement, tamper-evident audit logs, and emergency stop in every loop. RCAN §16 AI Accountability: every command carries model identity, confidence gates, and Human-in-the-Loop authorization — EU AI Act ready.
Community Hub
Share and discover robot configurations, behaviors, and presets. Pull community-tested RCAN configs with one command. Build on what others have proven.
Cross-Platform
Runs on Raspberry Pi, Jetson, x86 Linux, and macOS. ARM64 native. From $35 Pi Zero to workstation-class machines — same codebase, same config.
Hot-Swap AI Brains
Switch between Apple/local/cloud stacks with a single config line. Setup recommends compatible stacks automatically for your device.
Semantic Perception
EmbeddingInterpreter gives your robot semantic memory — it recognizes familiar scenes, detects novel situations, and injects relevant past experience into every decision. Uses local CLIP embeddings by default (no API key needed). Optionally upgrade to Gemini Embedding 2 for multimodal depth. Configure with a single RCAN block.
HLabs ACB v2.0 Motor Control
First-class support for HLaboratories' open-source Actuator Control Board — 3-phase BLDC, 12V–30V, 40A, CAN Bus at 1Mbit/s. Auto-detects via USB VID/PID, runs full calibration sequences, streams 50Hz encoder telemetry. Pre-built profiles for single actuator, 3-DOF arm, and 6-DOF biped. Install: pip install opencastor[hlabs].
Cost
Your primary brain costs $0.
Open-source models via Hugging Face free API power the fast brain. Paid providers are optional fallbacks for planning tasks.
Primary Brain
- Apple Foundation Models on eligible Macs
- HuggingFace free inference API
- Ollama local models
- llama.cpp on-device
- Full vision pipeline
- All safety modules
- Community configs
Planner Fallback
- Anthropic Claude
- Google Gemini
- OpenAI GPT-4.1
- Complex task planning
- Long-horizon reasoning
Claude OAuth
- Use your existing Claude sub
- No separate API keys needed
- OAuth-based authentication
- Full Claude capabilities
Quick Start
Three steps to intelligent.
No PhD required. No firmware. No custom drivers.
Install
One command installs OpenCastor and all dependencies.
curl -sL opencastor.com/install | bash Configure
Interactive setup wizard probes your device, suggests a stack, and guides onboarding with inline QR codes. Bridge and fleet registration included.
castor setup Run
Your robot is now an AI-powered agent. Send commands via voice, chat, or WhatsApp.
castor run --config my_robot.rcan.yaml Community
Recipes that
actually work.
Real builders share tested configs. Browse by use case, fork what works, and skip the hard parts.
PiCar-X Home Patrol
Nightly patrol with Gemini vision. Spots open windows, water leaks, unexpected items. WhatsApp alerts.
Farm Scout
4WD rover checking crop rows for pests, disease, and dry spots. Llama 3.3 on Hugging Face free tier.
Classroom Q&A Bot
Roams the classroom answering student questions via WhatsApp. Claude Haiku with topic and content filters.
v2026.3.27.1 — March 27, 2026
What's New
v2026.3.27.1 — RCAN v2.2: ML-DSA-65 only, Physical AI dual-brain
Sprint, Threshold Race, and Model×Hardware Bracket Season competition formats. All Gemini 2.0/1.5 model strings updated to Gemini 2.5 ahead of June 2026 deprecation. Contribute throughput 10x via Firestore caching (4.6s → 14ms).
Release notes →v2026.3.26.1 — RCAN v2.1: Firmware Attestation & EU AI Act
Signed firmware manifests, CycloneDX SBOM supply chain, M2M_TRUSTED fleet orchestration, EU AI Act Art. 16(j) authority access, and L5 conformance checks. rcan-py 1.1.0 and rcan-ts 1.1.0 published.
Release notes →v2026.3.16.3 — Surface Routing Fix + Chat E2E
Surface routing fix confirmed chat end-to-end. Bob↔Alex live robot conversation milestone reached. Fleet UI launched at app.opencastor.com.
Release notes →Full Changelog
View complete release notes including all bug fixes, API changes, and migration notes.
View Changelog →Open Protocol
OpenCastor implements RCAN.
RCAN doesn't belong to OpenCastor.
RCAN is an independent open protocol — the proposed standard for robot identity, accountability, and communication. Think of it like DNS and ICANN, but for robotics. Any robot, any runtime, any manufacturer can implement RCAN and register at the Robot Registry Foundation.
OpenCastor is a reference implementation of RCAN — the runtime that helped inform and test the spec. You don't need OpenCastor to use RCAN. You don't need RCAN to use OpenCastor. Using both together is encouraged and gives you the full stack: a robot that is controllable, auditable, and globally addressable.
If you're building a robot runtime, a fleet management system, or robotics hardware — you are welcome and encouraged to implement RCAN. The spec is CC BY 4.0. The registry is open to all robots.
Start building today.
Open source. Apache 2.0. Free forever.