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ROS 2 now available on Clearpath Robotics’ Husky UGV

husky ugv

Clearpath Robotics’ Husky UGV is an all-terrain mobile robot development platform. | Source: Clearpath Robotics

Editor’s Note: Brian Gerkey, co-founder and CEO of Open Robotics, is keynoting our Robotics Summit & Expo, which takes place May 10-11 in Boston. His talk, called “Robotics Needs a Babelfish: The Skinny on Robot Interoperability,” will discuss how companies are addressing interoperability, and what options are available to vendors, end users, and integrators. Attendees will learn about the history of Open-RMF (Robotics Middleware Framework), best practices for multiple vendor robot interoperability, and future interoperability trends.

Clearpath Robotics announced that ROS 2 is now available on its Husky unmanned ground vehicle (UGV). The UGV is a medium-sized robotic development platform popular among robotics researchers. 

Husky is an all-terrain mobile robot that can be equipped with stereo cameras, LiDAR, GPS, IMUs and manipulators. The robot weighs in at 110 lbs, and has a payload capacity of 165 lbs. Its max speed is 2.2 MPH, and it can typically run for 3 hours on a single charge. According to Clearpath Robotics, Husky was the first field robotics platform to support ROS from its factory settings.

Husky was also one of the first robots outside of Willow Garage, a robotics research lab that developed ROS until Open Robotics was founded in 2012, to offer official ROS support. ROS 2 improves upon ROS 1, and makes it able to be used in more unique use cases, such as multi-robot teams, small embedded systems and non-ideal networks.

Clearpath and Open Robotics have a history of collaborating on mobile robot platforms. The two companies collaborated on the TurtleBot 4, the next generation of the popular open-source mobile robotics platform. TurtleBot 4 aims to build on the success of previous versions by providing a low-cost, fully extensible, ROS-enabled reference platform for robotics researchers, developers, and educators.

Open Robotics recently celebrated its 10 year anniversary. On March 22nd, 2012 it officially incorporated the Open Source Robotics Foundation.

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iRobot launches Create 3 educational robot

iRobot Create 3 educational robot

iRobot Create 3 educational robot. | Credit: iRobot

In celebration of National Robotics Week, iRobot today launched the Create 3 educational robot. Based on the Roomba i3 Series robot vacuum platform, Create 3 is a mobile robot development platform for advanced makers who are learning ROS 2.

Create 3 is available in the US ($299) and Canada ($399) now. It will be available in EMEA through authorized distributors in the coming months.

Create 3 doesn’t have vacuuming capabilities, but it offers a boatload of other features to advance one’s robotics knowledge. It comes pre-assembled and equipped with Wi-Fi, Ethernet-over-USB host, and Bluetooth. It also features an inertial measurement unit (IMU), optical floor tracking sensor, wheel encoders, and infrared sensors for autonomous localization, navigation, and telepresence applications. It also includes cliff, bump and slip detection, along with LED lights and a speaker.

Using the built-in USB-C port, you can attach and run third-party hardware on Create 3. With Create 3, you can build basic mobile robot applications or explore advanced applications including multi-robot exploration, navigation and mapping technology, and telepresence capabilities.

“iRobot is committed to delivering STEM tools to all levels of the educational community, empowering the next generation of engineers, scientists and enthusiasts to do more,” said Colin Angle, chairman and CEO of iRobot. “The advanced capabilities we’ve made available on Create 3 enable higher-level students, educators and developers to be in the driver’s seat of robotics exploration, allowing them to one day discover new ways for robots to benefit society.”

iRobot released a Python Web Playground for Create 3, along with its Root educational robot. iRobot said this provides a bridge for beginners to start learning more advanced programming skills outside of the iRobot Coding App. Python is a common coding language and enables users to broaden the complexity of their projects.

A 3D simulation of Create 3 is also available using Ignition Gazebo for increased access to robotics education and research.

The launch of Create 3 coincides with National Robotics Week, which runs April 2-10. Founded and organized by iRobot, National Robotics Week is a time to inspire students about robotics and STEM-related fields, and to share the excitement of robotics with audiences of all ages through a range of in-person and virtual events.

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