Software Platform

Software Platform#

The Honey Badger robot has two onboard computers with separate roles:

  • LPC (Locomotion PC) — UP Squared Pro 7000

  • APC (Application PC) — Nvidia Jetson Orin Nano Super

This separation helps keep real-time locomotion control isolated from user applications and high-level compute workloads.

LPC (Locomotion PC)#

The LPC is the primary real-time control computer for the robot. It typically runs:

  • bridge_node — low-level interface to the mainboard and actuators

  • control_node — locomotion and motion control stack

  • state_publisher_node — ROS 2 transform publisher

  • config_node — configuration and parameter server

The LPC is responsible for safe, deterministic robot motion and direct hardware handling.

APC (Application PC)#

The APC is the user-facing application computer. It is intended for:

  • perception and mapping

  • autonomous behavior and planning

  • custom user applications

  • data logging and analysis

By default, MAB-supplied ROS 2 nodes are not launched on the APC. This keeps the APC available for additional compute workloads without affecting the locomotion stack.

Network roles#

Both computers are connected to the robot’s internal network:

  • LPC — static IP 10.11.0.10, hostname hb50.lan

  • APC — static IP 10.11.0.11, hostname hb50-orin.lan

The robot also provides a Wi-Fi access point for external controllers, such as the Steam Deck.

Why this matters#

Separating the locomotion computer from the application computer delivers several benefits:

  • improved stability for low-level control

  • reduced jitter when running compute-intensive user code

  • clearer operational boundaries for users and developers

  • easier troubleshooting and system monitoring

For network and connectivity details, see Networking.

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