Mistakes on hardware are costly
A wrong move can break a robot, or something around it. Simulation finds problems first.
BiltIQ ROS · Tested in simulation
BiltIQ ROS: robotics simulation and rover autonomy
BiltIQ ROS is the robotics work of BiltIQ AI Lab. It has two parts: an autonomy stack for our BiltIQ Rover, with AI planning, mapping, navigation and return-to-base, and a fleet simulation built on ROS 2 and Gazebo. A safety gate that the AI cannot override checks every movement. BiltIQ ROS is tested in simulation and is not on sale.
- Automated rover tests passing
- 1,042
- Fleet simulation with Gazebo
- ROS 2
- Every movement safety-checked
- Gated
- Rover prototype in our lab
- Bench
Why simulation first
Prove the robot before it moves
Test more situations
Software can run through many scenarios that would be slow or risky to stage for real.
Keep the two apart
A guard stops simulation code from reaching real hardware, by refusing the connections to it.
What we have built
Two parts that work together
Rover autonomy stack
- An AI agent that plans with a local model first and can fall back to a cloud model
- Mapping and navigation
- Return to base
- Safety checks, with a motion gate the AI cannot override
- 1,042 automated tests passing
Fleet simulation
- Built on ROS 2 and Gazebo
- Several robot types working in one scene
- Scenario events you can inject and replay
- Propose-and-confirm logs for each decision
- Simulation only: nothing here runs on a robot
The hardware
The rovers in our lab
We have two bench rovers, both built on a commercial four-wheel rover base. One runs on a Raspberry Pi 5 and the other on a Raspberry Pi 4, and both run our autonomy software. We also designed one 3D-printed sensor deck that fits both, with mounts for lidar, distance sensors and cameras, and we check its fit and sensor clearances in software before printing.
Both rovers are held by the motion gate while we commission their drivers and sensors. The results we stand behind today are from simulation.
The idea behind it
The same rule as our AI agents: the AI proposes, the gate decides
In Agent OS, important actions wait for a person. In BiltIQ ROS, every motion command passes a gate that the AI model cannot override. We apply the same thinking to digital twins: simulated actions cannot reach the real world.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
What is BiltIQ ROS?
It is our robotics research: the software that lets a robot plan and move safely, and the simulation we use to test it before it goes near real hardware.
Does it use ROS 2?
The fleet simulation is built on ROS 2 and Gazebo. The software on the rover itself is our own stack and does not use ROS 2 yet. BiltIQ ROS is our project name; ROS 2 is a separate open-source project.
Has it run on real robots?
We have two bench rovers in our lab, where movement stays gated while we commission its drivers and sensors. The results we stand behind today are from simulation.
Does the rover use the cloud?
It is hybrid. The rover uses a local model first and can fall back to a cloud model if the local one is not available. It can also be set to local only, so that nothing leaves the site.
Can we buy it?
Not yet, and no launch date is set. If you have a robotics problem, talk to the lab.
Working on robotics?
Tell us about your robots or your site. An engineer from the lab will reply.