Hello from a ROS 2 Learner & Wheelchair Robot Builder

ROS ROS General
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Hello ROS Community! :waving_hand:

My name is Hariss Abdraman Tahir, and I’m a final-year Computer Engineering student at the University of Maiduguri with a strong passion for robotics, autonomous systems, and embedded hardware.

I recently joined the ROS ecosystem and am currently learning ROS 2 Jazzy Jalisco while building hands-on projects that combine software, hardware, and autonomous systems engineering.

My areas of interest include:

• ROS 2 and robotic software architecture

• Autonomous ground robots and navigation (Nav2)

• Drone development for agricultural and surveillance applications

• Computer vision and perception systems

• Embedded systems and hardware-software integration

• Simulation with Gazebo

• PX4 and MAVSDK for drone autopilot systems

Current Project

For my final-year project, I am designing and building a prototype automated navigation wheelchair for clinical environments. The system integrates autonomous navigation, real-time obstacle avoidance, safety-critical design, and human-machine interaction using a ROS 2-based architecture.

I’m genuinely excited to be part of this community and look forward to learning from experienced developers, contributing to open-source projects, and growing alongside others who share the same passion for robotics.

Any tips, learning resources, or project feedback are always welcome.

Thank you for having me!

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ROS News for the Week of May 18th, 2026
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Welcome! I see you’re from Nigeria. We have a ROS Naija community where you can learn from bright minds and collaborate with fellow engineers like yourself. You can find us on LinkedIn at @ROS Naija Community. If you ever have questions or want to discuss anything, feel free to reach me on LinkedIn at @Davies Iyanuoluwa Ogunsina. Happy to connect!
Regards,

Davies​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

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Yes am from Nigeria thank you Engineer I really appreciate I will joint the team thanks

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Colleagues of mine have built a wheelchair prototype capable of moving in all directions using depth sensors.
Unfortunately, it wasn’t continued.
I think that’s a great application of robotics!

For the human-machine interface, they used

together with

as it allows the use of RViz for the visualization of the sensors and a birds-eye perspective of the wheelchair in the environment.
For a prototype or research demonstrator, I would suggest going that route, as it allows you to quickly design the interface without reinventing the wheel for map visualizations, etc.

Hint: Use the live reload toggle in the overlay’s display options for even faster prototyping by reloading the UI every time you save the file.
No compilation or app restarts necessary.

If you don’t need RViz, I would instead use Qt6, though, with:

Hope this helps, quicker HMI development means more time to spend on sensor and mapping issues :smiley:

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If you want some inspiration (and proof that what you’re attempting is both possible and valuable), take a look at WHILL’s autonomous wheelchair service. They focus on airports, but the goal is the same.

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