Case Study: Transforming Off-Road RC Cars into Autonomous Rovers

🎯 Case Study: Transforming Off-Road RC Cars into Autonomous Rovers

Powered by Aerium Hardware in Collaboration with Dainmaix

When Dainmaix, a leading robotics innovation lab, set out to convert rugged off-road RC cars into fully autonomous research rovers, they partnered with Aerium Systems to source a compact, powerful, and developer-friendly hardware stack.

The result was a modular, field-deployable rover platform capable of high-precision navigation, real-time processing, and robust autonomy — even in harsh off-road conditions.

The Challenge

Dainmaix needed to retrofit consumer-grade off-road RC vehicles with:

• Autonomous navigation capabilities

• Real-time computer vision and SLAM

• High-precision GNSS-based positioning

• Minimal onboard wiring and easy field serviceability

All while maintaining a lightweight, compact, and power-efficient design.

The Aerium Stack That Made It Possible

To meet these requirements, Dainmaix selected the following Aerium hardware:

Aerium Lumen — Jetson Carrier Board for Edge AI

The Lumen provided powerful onboard compute via the NVIDIA Jetson NX, enabling tasks like lane detection, object avoidance, and terrain mapping — directly on the rover.

Aerium Radian — Integrated Flight Controller

Designed for real-time control and communication, the Radian managed autonomous movement using ArduPilot firmware, delivering smooth control, robust telemetry, and compatibility with the full UAVCAN ecosystem.

Aerium Polar MAX-M10S — Precision GNSS Module

For pinpoint navigation, the Polar MAX-M10S GPS offered sub-meter accuracy, excellent satellite lock time, and reliable heading for mission-critical positioning — even under tree cover or in urban environments.

Custom Motherboard for Seamless Integration

To streamline integration, Aerium and Dainmaix co-developed a custom mounting motherboard tailored to the off-road chassis. This board served as both the physical and electrical foundation for the system, featuring:

• Mounting slots for all Aerium modules

• Integrated power routing from a single battery source

• JST-GH connectors for fast plug-and-play setup

• Expansion ports for sensors, cameras, and radios

The result was a clean, modular hardware layout that reduced cable clutter, simplified servicing, and enabled quick field-based hardware swaps.

Real-World Performance

The upgraded RC vehicles were tested in demanding terrain — including sand, gravel, and dense brush — and the Aerium stack consistently delivered:

• Real-time autonomous path planning

• Accurate GPS-based waypoint navigation

• Smooth AI inference onboard (such as obstacle detection)

• Reliable telemetry and remote control through MAVLink

These rovers are now being used by Dainmaix for research into autonomous delivery, outdoor mapping, and search-and-rescue robotics.

Why It Matters

This project highlights the versatility and performance of Aerium’s hardware beyond traditional drone applications. By integrating advanced navigation and compute systems into a ground vehicle, Dainmaix transformed a hobbyist platform into a capable, professional-grade robotics tool.

Ready to Build Your Own Autonomous Ground Platform?

Whether you're working with drones, rovers, or experimental mobile robots, Aerium’s modular ecosystem — including the Lumen, Radian, and Polar MAX-M10S — gives you everything needed to prototype, integrate, and deploy.