This paper describes a Controller Area Network (CAN) Bus architecture based on Arduino compatible boards, to be used as an alternative communication system for robotic applications. This combines both, the robustness of CAN and the accessibility of Arduino software. The architecture is developed here to improve a Navigational Assistance System, which was initially created for disabled people. The system is composed of Arduino compatible boards, wired with various sensors and actuators, and communicating with an Human Machine Interface (HMI), directly accessible via a mobile phone or a tablet running on the open-source operating system Android. Information is transferred through the CAN bus architecture between multiple nodes (i.e. Arduino compatible boards) and the implementation of a CAN bootloader allows the reconfiguration of the nodes directly through the bus. The aim is to create a generic system able to work in various kinds of situations, adaptable to all kinds of users, including persons with all sorts of disabilities. This work will result in a demonstrator on a Miniji for the WRSC 2013 and an entirely joystick controlled boat for single handed sailing.