Implementation of a ROS 2-Based Differential Robot Drive System in a Robot Control System

Authors

  • Ivan Rivaldo Butarbutar Universitas Pertahanan Republik Indonesia, Bogor, Indonesia
  • Roni Permana Saputra National Research and Innovation Agency, Bandung, Indonesia
  • Hendrana Tjahjadi Universitas Pertahanan Republik Indonesia, Bogor, Indonesia

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.35335/int.jo.emod.v20i2.200

Keywords:

Arduino Nano, DAC GP8503, Differential Drive Robot, Odometry, Raspberry Pi, ROS2

Abstract

This study aims to develop and evaluate a ROS2-based differential-drive robot control system using a low-cost embedded robotic architecture consisting of a Raspberry Pi 4 and Arduino Nano. The proposed system redesigns the previous robot architecture by simplifying the embedded controller configuration from multiple microcontrollers into a single Arduino Nano integrated with dual independent BLDC motor drivers. The system utilizes ROS2 communication topics including /cmd_vel, /target_rpm, /wheel_rpm, and /odom to enable real-time motion control, wheel speed feedback, and odometry estimation. Motor control is implemented using a GP8503 DAC module and ZS-X11H motor drivers, while wheel RPM feedback is acquired using rotary encoders. Experimental results show that the robot is capable of performing real-time differential-drive motion and successfully generating real-time wheel RPM feedback and odometry information. However, deviations of approximately 40–45% between target RPM and actual RPM were observed due to the absence of PID-based wheel speed correction, wheel slip, and mechanical load imbalance and motor nonlinearity. This research demonstrates the successful integration of ROS2 middleware with a simplified low-cost embedded robotic architecture as a foundation for future autonomous navigation and localization development.

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Published

2026-05-30

How to Cite

Butarbutar, I. R., Saputra, R. P., & Tjahjadi, H. (2026). Implementation of a ROS 2-Based Differential Robot Drive System in a Robot Control System. International Journal of Enterprise Modelling, 20(2), 212–224. https://doi.org/10.35335/int.jo.emod.v20i2.200

Issue

Vol. 20 No. 2 (2026): May: Enterprise Modelling

Section

Articles

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Copyright (c) 2026 Ivan Rivaldo Butarbutar, Roni Permana Saputra, Hendrana Tjahjadi

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.