// the find
makerspet/oomwoo
Open-source vacuum robot cleaner
oomwoo is a community-built open-source robot vacuum using ROS2, a 2D LiDAR, ESP32/Raspberry Pi, and 3D-printed hardware. It targets people who want a Roomba-equivalent without the cloud dependency or vendor lock-in. The project is in early design phase — no working build exists yet.
The module decomposition is genuinely well thought-out: the dependency graph between urdf-gazebo-sim, nav-localize, dock-cycle, etc. gives contributors clear entry points without blocking each other unnecessarily. The design research section is unusually honest for a hobby project — the suction-is-a-sourcing-problem insight and the decision to skip the self-washing roller mop are the kind of calls that save people six months of wasted effort. Home Assistant integration as a first-class goal (not an afterthought) is the right call for the target audience. The no-kit-required stance — everything stays open, the kit is convenience only — is credible because it's stated upfront with a clear commercial relationship disclosed.
Nothing actually builds yet. The BoM is a placeholder, firmware doesn't exist, and the URDF package is a separate repo that also appears to be skeleton code. 1500+ stars for a repo whose primary language is Mermaid and whose deliverables list is mostly unchecked boxes suggests the star count reflects aspiration, not substance. The ROS2/ESP32 architecture decision is marked TBD — whether Nav2 runs on the Pi or micro-ROS runs on the ESP32 is a fundamental design question that should be settled before recruiting contributors. LiDAR blind spot below ~10 cm is acknowledged but the mitigation ('lean on the bumper') is thin for a floor robot navigating around charging cables and pet toys.