Nova Carter Technical Information

This section contains technical information relevant to the Nova compute and sensor architecture, and the Nova Carter robot.

• Weight: 48 kg

• Payload Capacity: 50 kg

• Length: 725 mm

• Width: 500 mm

• Height: 556 mm

• Wheelbase Type: Differential (2x front drive wheels + 2x rear casters)

• Drive Wheel Diameter: 280 mm

• Maximum Speed: > 12 km/h (3.3 m/s)

• Battery Capacity: 1033 Wh (36V, 8+ hrs operation time)

• Charging Time: < 3 hrs (20% to 80% capacity)

• Connectivity: 2.4 and 5 GHz WiFi (2x2 MIMO, 802.11 k/v/r), Bluetooth 5.0/BLE

• Operating Environment: Indoor conditions, wheelchair-accessible spaces

Nova Carter is based on the NVIDIA Nova compute and sensor architecture, which prescribes a specific list of sensor requirements and the system design for an Autonomous Mobile Robot (AMR) built around the NVIDIA Jetson Orin. Nova Carter uses the Jetson AGX Orin Developer Kit.

The block diagram below illustrates how the Nova system architecture is implemented on Nova Carter. Specifics on the sensors and other system components used are also provided in tables.

The sensor reference origin is placed at the center rotation point of the robot at ground level (between the drive wheels). This is located 140 mm behind the frontmost point of the robot, and 585 mm forward of the rearmost point (tow hook). Positive yaw rotation is clockwise about the Z axis. All transformations are rounded to the nearest tenths place after the decimal point.

System Origin On Ground Rotation Axis - Isometric View

Hawk Stereo Camera and Owl Fisheye Camera Sensor Reference Origins

Hawk Stereo Camera Location Transformations

Owl Fisheye Camera Location Transformation

XT32 3D Lidar and RPLidar S2E 2D Lidar Sensor Reference Origins

XT32 3D Lidar Location Transformation

RPLidar S2E 2D Lidar Location Transformation

Note: The illustrated FoVs are approximate, and the ranges have been truncated for improved visualization. Touchdown distances are measured from the Nova Carter Front or Side most facing panels on the electronics enclosures.

The following figures show visualizations of Nova Carter sensor fields of view.

Fisheye Camera FoV - Top View

Fisheye Camera FoV - Side View (Front and Rear sensors)

Fisheye Camera FoV - Back View (Left and Right sensors)

Stereo Camera FoV - Top View

Stereo Camera FoV - Side View (Front and Rear sensors)

Stereo Camera FoV - Back View (Left and Right sensors)

2D Lidar FoV - Top View

3D Lidar FoV - Side View

Nova Carter has a modular design to make it adaptable for multiple use-cases. It ships with two different Top Modules:

• 3D Mapping Top Module: Equipped with Hesai XT-32 3D Lidar for 3D mapping and ground truth depth data collection.

• Basic Cargo Top Module: A plate that can be used to enable payload transport while protecting the 2D Lidars from damage.

You can also design your own top modules to use on Nova Carter. The top IO panel provides 50W 12V DC power and an Ethernet connection for the internal Nova sensor network. This is a separate network from the rear IO panel Ethernet port. Blanking plates on empty ports provide expandability for other connections if you want to install your own.

Alignment pins at the top module mechanical interface ensure that topper modules can be removed and reinstalled into the same position. This allows for extrinsic calibration between sensors to be maintained even if multiple top modules are used on the robot.

To create your own top module, refer to the bolt pattern below. For more information, see product documentation from Segway Robotics.

Top Module Bolt Pattern