Wheeltec R5 Series Robot Mecanum Wheel Chassis

The Wheeltec R5 Series Robot Mecanum Wheel Chassisis a heavy-duty, all-metal robot base platform engineered for serious robotics development.delivers smooth and stable maneuvering across carpet, concrete, and other indoor surfaces. Powered by twoMD36L 60W DC gear motorspaired with high-precision500-line GMR encoders(or optional 13-line Hall encoders), the chassis achieves a top speed of1.2 m/swith a maximum payload capacity of15 kg. Pre-configured mounting points supportNVIDIA Jetson Orin,Raspberry Pi, LiDAR sensors, and depth cameras making the R5 a powerful foundation for ROS navigation, SLAM, and autonomous robotics research.

Features

• High-Torque MD36L DC Gear Motors DualMD36L 60Wbrushed DC motors rated at24V / 260 12% RPM, delivering a rated torque of10 kgcmand a stall torque of 64 kgcmfor climbing and heavy-load capability.
• Dual Encoder Options Choose the500-line GMR encoder(high-precision, 3.35V, STM32-compatible) for demanding SLAM tasks, or the economical13-line Hall encoder(3.35V, universal MCU compatible) for general-purpose development.
• Coaxial Swing-Arm Suspension The universal caster uses a coaxial swing suspension system for consistent ground contact on uneven surfaces.
• Rich Peripheral Mounting Ecosystem Pre-drilled mounting points for NVIDIA Jetson Orin, Raspberry Pi, LiDAR, depth cameras, IMU modules, displays, and microphone arrays.
• ROS 1 / ROS 2 Ready Full ROS source code, assembly tutorials, and video guides included for rapid robotics development.

Specifications

Chassis

Motor MD36L P27

Encoder Options

Reference:OpenELAB Wheeltec R5 Series Universal Wheel Differential Chassis|Wheeltec Official Website

Application

TheWheeltec R5 Universal Wheel Differential Chassisis engineered for demanding robotics tasks requiring high payload capacity, reliable odometry, and a rich peripheral ecosystem:

• ROS Navigation & SLAM Out-of-the-box ROS 1/ROS 2 support with full source code makes the R5 a ready-to-deploy base for gmapping, Cartographer, Navigation2, and other SLAM stacks.
• Autonomous Mobile Robot (AMR) Development 15 kg payload and robust all-metal construction support full sensor suites for industrial AMR prototyping.
• University & Research Robotics Pre-drilled mounting points and open-source software lower the barrier for academic research in autonomous navigation and robot perception.
• AI & Edge Computing Platforms Native support for NVIDIA Jetson Orin enables on-robot deep learning inference for object detection, path planning, and visual SLAM.
• Multi-Surface Indoor Navigation Coaxial swing-arm suspension ensures consistent traction across tiles, concrete, and carpet transitions.
• Service & Telepresence Robots Smooth differential drive with high-precision GMR encoders enables responsive, human-interactive control.

Packing List

FAQ

What control methods does the R5 chassis support

The R5 chassis supports multiple control interfaces, including serial (UART), USB, and wireless modules depending on the controller used. It works seamlessly with ROS/ROS2, STM32, Jetson, Raspberry Pi, and ESP32, making it easy to integrate into autonomous navigation and robotics applications.

Can the R5 chassis be used for SLAM and autonomous navigation

Yes. The R5 chassis is designed for both indoor and outdoor mobile robotics, and its stable differential drive system makes it ideal for LiDARbased SLAM, visual SLAM, and multisensor fusion navigation. It is commonly paired with LiDARs, depth cameras, and IMUs.

Is the R5 chassis suitable for uneven or outdoor terrain

Yes. With offroad wheels, a metal frame, and independent suspension, the R5 can handle grass, gravel, tiles, concrete, and mild outdoor terrain. Its hightorque motors and differential drive ensure stable movement even on uneven surfaces.