Public Alpha

OpenSpot

Open payload hardware and operator tools for Boston Dynamics Spot.

  • Yash Turkar
  • Yashom Dighe
  • Christo Aluckal
  • Travis Minor
University at Buffalo · Drones Lab
University at Buffalo logo Drones Lab logo
Hardware repository Documentation Operator — Coming Soon
Annotated OpenSpot payload showing modular sensor mount, Jetson enclosure, GNSS and IMU, power and network enclosure, and long-range radio
Current OpenSpot reference payload.

OpenSpot

A shared payload stack for Spot.

OpenSpot combines modular sensor mounts, Jetson compute, field networking, and a handheld operator interface.

The current release includes the mechanical designs and reference network. Electronics documentation and the Operator package are still in progress.

Outdoor prototype deployment.

Reference architecture

Robot-to-operator connectivity

Spot, the Jetson, sensors, and the payload radio share a 2.5 GbE network. A wireless bridge connects the robot to the operator.

Network diagram connecting Spot GXP, a 2.5 gigabit switch, Jetson Orin, Ouster LiDAR, Ubiquiti wireless bridge, operator router, portable power, and Steam Deck

System

Hardware, networking, and control

Modular hardware

Mounts for compute, LiDAR, radios, electronics, and swappable sensors.

Edge compute

Jetson Orin compute for perception, mapping, logging, and autonomy.

Field networking

Onboard switching and a wireless bridge to the operator.

OpenSpot Operator

A Steam Deck interface and Jetson daemon for control, telemetry, video, and diagnostics.

Contribute

Build with OpenSpot

We welcome CAD improvements, build reports, new sensor plates, and documentation fixes.

Contribution guide

Citation

Until a project paper is available, cite the public repository:

@misc{openspot2026,
  author       = {Yash Turkar and Yashom Dighe and Christo Aluckal and Travis Minor},
  title        = {OpenSpot},
  year         = {2026},
  howpublished = {\url{https://github.com/droneslab/OpenSpot}},
  note         = {Public alpha}
}