Open Source RoboticsRobots, software & learning

Lichtblick

Software

Browser and desktop robotics visualization/diagnosis application with message players including a ROS bridge player. [1] [3]

Installation & first result →Official websiteGetting started

For
Robotics developers inspecting logs or live message streams [1]
Source rights
Named licenses are documented by part. Review licenses
Unknowns
operating system, compute requirements not fully established. Review gaps

Source researched · Not tested by us
Sources checked · Research details

Licenses & related hardware

Requirements · Research details and dates

On this page

Overview

Lichtblick is a robotics visualization and diagnosis application available through browser and desktop routes. The repository contains the application source, including a player for ROS bridge messages. It is relevant when a developer needs to inspect recordings or message streams in coordinated panels; it is not itself evidence that a particular robot connection or file schema has been tested. [1] [3]

Is this for you?

Known limitations
  • README Node requirement and package.json disagree; use the selected manifest to plan a source build.
  • Open-core boundaries and third-party file notices remain separate from the root MPL declaration.
  • No live bridge, file loading or telemetry behavior was independently tested.

Editorial scope assessment from the cited implementation/documentation; no execution or compatibility test.

[1] [2] [3] [4] [5] · Editorial assessment

What you need

Dependencies
  • Source package.json requires Node>=20 and yarn4.17.0; README gives an older Node16.10+ lower bound

[1] [2] [3] [4] [5]

Installation & first result

Open the upstream getting-started guide [1]

  • Use a matching prebuilt desktop/browser build or follow the selected package manifest and corepack/Yarn source-build route.
  • Preserve exact source/dependency/model versions and evaluate the selected workflow before connecting physical hardware or reusing data.

Editorial scope assessment from the cited implementation/documentation; no execution or compatibility test.

[1] [2] [3] [4] [5] · Editorial assessment

Installation

Use a matching prebuilt desktop/browser build or follow the selected package manifest and corepack/Yarn source-build route.

Editorial scope assessment from the cited implementation/documentation; no execution or compatibility test.

[1] [2] [3] [4] [5] · Editorial assessment

Hardware, models & data

Inputs and outputs

Robotics message streams and recordings to synchronized visualization panels.

Editorial scope assessment from the cited implementation/documentation; no execution or compatibility test.

[1] [3] · Editorial assessment

Project notes

Resolve the Node requirement before a source build

The selected README says Node.js 16.10 or later, but package.json requires Node.js 20 or later and names Yarn 4.17.0. Preserve that discrepancy: use the selected manifest when planning a source build, rather than assuming an older Node installation satisfies this revision. The manifest identifies application version 1.30.0. [1] [5]

The README distinguishes the web development/build commands from the Electron desktop flow. It also warns that the Linux tar.gz package does not automatically install the system libraries handled by a deb package. Therefore a prebuilt desktop archive, an in-browser application and a local source build have different prerequisites. Choose the route before spending time debugging dependencies from another one. [1]

The README links a hosted browser application for an initial look. For source development, it documents corepack enable and yarn install, then yarn run web:serve for the web app. The desktop route starts yarn desktop:serve, followed by yarn desktop:start in another terminal once compilation finishes. These are source-documented steps, not builds reproduced by this catalog. [1]

Match the data route and reuse terms

The inspected RosbridgePlayer connects through roslibjs to a rosbridge_server WebSocket URL. That route therefore needs a configured bridge endpoint, in addition to the viewer. The source comment reports no seeking, no simulated-time display and no raw ROS message support, instead describing CBOR decoding into JavaScript objects. These are source-comment statements, not tested behavior. No bridge or recording was opened, and this review does not establish latency, completeness of supported messages or telemetry behavior. [3]

The root MPL-2.0 notice and selected file's inherited notices must remain visible when assessing reuse. The README describes an open-core model, so a feature or service outside this repository should not be assumed reproducible from the same source. No application build, desktop launch, browser workflow or data-loading test was performed. [1] [2] [3]

What we checked

Source research only. Selected implementation/model text, repository tree and license declarations were inspected. No upstream compilation, dependency installation, simulator, network/USB/device integration, data collection, benchmark or physical robot test was performed. Source files are linked rather than redistributed; external services and paid products are not endorsed.

Not yet established

  • Requirements: operating system, host computer
  • Version-specific hardware compatibility (ecosystem tags alone do not establish it)

Updates

Upstream last updated
Not established
Latest release
Not established
Profile updated
Nov 1, 2026
Sources last checked
Nov 1, 2026
Next review
Dec 1, 2026
Reviewed revision
aaf2ddf

Source files and licenses

Distinct robot-facing tool contribution with actual implementation/model content and a bounded documented next step. Review covers source artifacts, not operational performance or a complete tested deployment.

LayerAvailability / license
softwareavailable · MPL-2.0
Declaration for the scoped source implementation/documentation; dependencies, external services, model/data assets and inherited file-specific terms require separate checks. No blanket redistribution or operational clearance. [1] [2] [3]
documentationavailable · MPL-2.0
Declaration for the scoped source implementation/documentation; dependencies, external services, model/data assets and inherited file-specific terms require separate checks. No blanket redistribution or operational clearance. [1] [2] [3]

This profile is scoped to source implementation/model descriptions and an initial inspection workflow; no physical manufacturing design, pretrained checkpoint or dataset is selected for redistribution or tested deployment.

References

Each source links to the exact revision we read. “Used for” shows where this page relies on it.

Correction guidance · Discussion is not enabled · Profile format 0.7.0-draft.5

Change history