Are We Overengineering Every Robotics Project?

[GrumpyElectrons]

This might be an unpopular opinion, but I'll say it anyway.

It feels like many robotics and vehicle projects today jump directly from a bare MCU board to a full autopilot stack.

Need GPS?

Need an IMU?

Need telemetry?

Need a few servo outputs?

Need battery monitoring?

Suddenly you're integrating dozens of libraries, building infrastructure from scratch, or pulling in an entire autopilot ecosystem.

Sometimes that's absolutely the right solution.

But is it always?

After rebuilding the same GPS, IMU, telemetry, actuator control, and firmware infrastructure across multiple projects, I started wondering if there was a middle ground.

Something between:

• Blank STM32 board

and

• Full Pixhawk / ArduPilot ecosystem

That question led me to develop NavCore RX.

An STM32G431-based controller platform that combines:

• GPS

• 9-axis IMU

• Battery monitoring

• ESC interfaces

• Servo outputs

• Expandable radio connectivity

• Reusable firmware architecture

The goal isn't to replace Pixhawk or ArduPilot.

The goal is to reduce the amount of infrastructure work required before development can actually begin.

I'm genuinely interested in hearing from other STM32 developers:

• Do you find yourself repeatedly rebuilding the same infrastructure?

• At what point do you move from a bare MCU to a full autopilot stack?

• Is there room for something in between?

Prototype photos and architecture diagrams are attached below.

I'm also exploring a future Crowd Supply launch. If you'd like to follow the project early and receive launch updates and Founding Member benefits, you can learn more here:

https://synvertexengineering.com/products

Looking forward to hearing your thoughts — especially criticism.