Restoring Mobile Manipulation: Panthera-HT 6-DOF Arm for Leo Rover
Adrian Krzemiński,
Restoring Mobile Manipulation: The Panthera-HT 6-DOF Arm for Leo Rover
Ever since previous compatible robotic arms were discontinued, mobile manipulation has been a missing capability in the Leo Rover ecosystem. Research teams and developers were forced to either pause manipulation projects or spend months engineering custom power regulators and mounting adapters. Today, we are closing that gap with the official release of the Panthera-HT 6-DOF Robotic Arm Integration Kit for Leo Rover, developed in partnership with High Torque Robotics.Overcoming the 24V Power & Chassis Challenge
Integrating high-torque industrial manipulators onto compact mobile bases typically introduces severe electrical stability risks. Most robotic arms require a stable 24V supply, whereas small UGV platforms like Leo Rover operate on a nominal 12V bus. Direct DC-DC step-up conversion under high motor load causes voltage sags, logic resets, or battery overload on the main traction system. The Panthera-HT integration resolves this bottleneck through a fully self-contained 24V electrical subsystem:- Independent Battery Architecture: The arm operates on a dedicated 24V rechargeable battery pack housed inside the deck assembly.
- Bus Isolation: Zero current draw from Leo Rover’s main 12V supply protects traction motors, low-level controllers, and onboard compute from voltage fluctuations.
- Dedicated Charging System: Includes an external 24V 2A charger dock for independent battery maintenance.
Structural Integration & Deck Mount Assembly
The kit features a precision-machined mounting deck designed specifically for the Leo Rover frame. This assembly consolidates three critical hardware functions into a single unit:- Mechanical Mounting: Bolts directly onto Leo Rover’s standard top mounting pattern.
- Controller Bay: Houses the low-level arm drive electronics securely within the chassis profile.
- Battery Dock: Provides rapid access for battery swapping during extended field testing.
Software Ecosystem: Native ROS 2 Jazzy & MoveIt 2
To eliminate software setup overhead, the Panthera-HT ships with open-source ROS 2 packages pre-configured for ROS 2 Jazzy and Ubuntu 24.04 LTS.- MoveIt 2 Integration: Includes pre-calibrated URDF/Xacro models and collision-free motion planning configurations out of the box.
- Open Architecture: Drivers, node configurations, and communication interfaces are hosted on public GitHub repositories under open-source licensing.
Technical Specifications Summary
| Parameter | Specification |
| Kinematics Architecture | 6-DOF Serial Manipulator |
| Nominal Payload | 1.5 kg (at full 650 mm reach) |
| Positioning Repeatability | ±0.2 mm |
| Arm Weight | 3.8 kg |
| Power Supply | Independent 24V Battery Pack |
| Primary Software Stack | ROS 2 Jazzy, MoveIt 2 |
| Operating Temperature | -10°C to +45°C |
Documentation & Ordering
Following Fictionlab’s core philosophy, the Panthera-HT kit features zero warranty seals. To review the complete integration manual, step-by-step assembly guides, and ROS 2 driver repositories, visit our official documentation portal:- Technical Documentation: Panthera-HT Integration Guide
- Partner Hardware Hub: High Torque Robotics Hub
- Store Listing & Pricing: Buy Panthera-HT on Fictionlab Store