CanEduDev and Kvaser Collaborate on CAN Rover Technology Demonstrator

Kvaser AB has signed a Technical Associate (TA) agreement with CAN robotics specialist, CanEduDev to jointly promote each other’s tools. CanEduDev’s robot development kit, which first began in 2018 as a pioneering side project within Kvaser, evolved into a standalone company in 2023. CanEduDev’s mission is to become the leading platform for demonstrating and testing new CAN software and hardware products.

Aside from its high-quality, eye-catching aluminium chassis, what sets CanEduDev’s Rover apart is that it comes as a complete hardware kit. Everything necessary to control and obtain data from the vehicle is provided, making the Rover a versatile educational tool, proof of concept demonstrator or functional model.

While envisaged initially as a tool to train engineers in CAN system design, the 1/5 scale model is proving a portable and more cost-efficient alternative to a full-scale system for developing and demonstrating ADAS features such as path planning and trajectory generation, or for simulating how an automotive system interacts with smart infrastructure. The Rover has a 10kg payload and the chassis can be easily modified to carry additional sensors such as cameras, GPS and ultrasonic/sonar.

CanEduDev’s 1/5 scale model is proving a portable and more cost-efficient alternative to a full-scale system in ‘proof of concept’ demonstrations.

Smart collaboration
Hashem Hashem, CanEduDev’s COO and Head of Engineering, cites CanEduDev’s recent membership of the Swedish government’s TECoSA edge computing project as an example of the Rover’s versatility. TECoSA uses CanEduDev’s platform to emulate edge nodes and servers and for prototyping various edge systems. ‘If an end application has, or interacts with a four-wheeled vehicle, our Rover can be used to demonstrate it,” notes Hashem.

CanEduDev’s Rover, combined with the Kvaser Air Bridge M12 ‘one to any’ CAN bridge, is being used to showcase an automated grain harvesting cart application. When an empty grain cart connects through the Kvaser Air Bridge to the combine harvester, harvesting begins. Sensors detect when the cart is full, pausing harvesting until another empty cart connects. The Rover can be envisaged for demonstration and test scenarios in other logistics applications and electric charging scenarios.

Vital stats
CanEduDev’s Rover is equipped with a full CAN system, including steering and motor control modules, a battery monitoring system and a radio control module for driving the vehicle. With a top speed of 30 km/h, it is suitable for both indoor and outdoor applications. The modular design extends to the motors and brakes, allowing for switchable two and four-wheel control.

The schematics and software are open source and freely available. The firmware is built on the open-source STM32 HAL and FreeRTOS. For more information, please visit canedudev.com

Students from KTH, Sweden’s largest technical university, have added 5G and LiDAR to their rover for ADAS application development.