The step-by-step guide still shows the older Slash chassis and Xavier NX while the current parts list specifies a different Traxxas model and an Orin Nano, so builders must reconcile the two.
A 1/10-scale autonomous racing car built by stripping a Traxxas RC car and adding a laser-cut deck carrying an NVIDIA Jetson, a 2D lidar, a VESC motor controller and a dedicated power board. It runs a ROS 2 driver stack and is used in university courses and international autonomous racing competitions, now held under the RoboRacer name. A matching simulator and lab assignments let the same code run in simulation before it runs on the car.
At a glance
| Parts cost | $3,000 parts list · Total of the project's master parts list (updated May 2026), which includes an optional $334 depth camera. The $1,200 Hokuyo lidar is the largest line source ↗ |
|---|---|
| Difficulty | 3/5 Intermediate · Mechanical build is short, but flashing a Jetson, setting up the ROS 2 driver stack, tuning the VESC and configuring an Ethernet lidar take Linux and ROS experience. |
| Build time | 10-15 hours overall (hardware build alone about 1.5 hours) source ↗ |
| Tools needed | M5 hex key and the M3/M2.5/M2 hex keys supplied with the Traxxas, T3 Torx screwdriver, laser cutter for the platform deck (or an online service such as Ponoko), small 3D print (antenna mount), no soldering called for in the guide (unconfirmed) |
| Motors | Stock Traxxas brushless drive motor and steering servo, both driven through a VESC 6 MkVI |
| Controller | NVIDIA Jetson Orin Nano Super with NVMe SSD (current parts list); RoboRacer power board |
| Sensors | Hokuyo UST-10LX 2D lidar (SICK TiM571 listed as an alternative); optional Intel RealSense D435i; VESC odometry |
| Published | ✓ Parts list✓ CAD/STL✓ Assembly guide✗ Wiring✓ Software✓ Video Sphinx site on ReadTheDocs (GitHub source), Google Sheets parts list, Google Drive DXF/print files, YouTube build videos |
| Activity | Last update 2026-09-11 · 290 GitHub stars · RoboRacer Slack; f1tenth_gym_ros 290 stars / 221 forks, f1tenth_gym 251 stars, f1tenth_system 128 stars |
| Kits | No complete car kit found (unconfirmed). The power board is sold by Ambimat Electronics under the RoboRacer name. |
Licenses
No license is stated for the design files. They are published for building, but without a license the right to copy, modify or redistribute them is not granted.
| Design files | None found (platform deck and antenna mount files are on Google Drive with no license; the power board design repo has no LICENSE file) source ↗ |
|---|---|
| Code | MIT (f1tenth_system driver stack, f1tenth_gym, f1tenth_gym_ros) source ↗ |
| Documentation | CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 source ↗ |
Builder notes
Practical points from the project's issue tracker, forum and docs, each linked to its source.
- The written guide and the parts list no longer match. The guide still describes a Traxxas Slash 4x4 Premium with a Jetson Xavier NX, and parts of it still mention the older TX2, while the Master parts list updated in May 2026 lists a Traxxas Fiesta ST Rally VXL and a Jetson Orin Nano Super. source ↗
- The Jetson Xavier NX module described in the build steps is dropped from the parts list. The FAQ says any Jetson (or other computer) that runs the ROS 2 driver stack works and that Jetsons share the same flashing workflow. source ↗
- Older guides told builders to flash a VESC_servoout.bin firmware, which newer VESC Tool versions no longer offer. The current page says to use the default latest firmware instead. source ↗
- An Ethernet lidar such as the Hokuyo 10LX can conflict with Wi-Fi networking on the Jetson. Builders worked around it with a separate router or USB Wi-Fi stick, and a maintainer suggested moving away from Ethernet lidars. source ↗
- The Docker setup labelled Humble still pulls a Foxy image, according to an open issue from March 2026. source ↗
Other wheeled plans
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- OpenBot (smartphone robot) · $50 (2020) · difficulty 2/5
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- MuSHR racecar · $1,100 (2022) · difficulty 3/5