Introducing the TurtleBot 4!
TurtleBot 4 Lite (left) and TurtleBot 4 Standard (right)
We are happy to announce that pre-orders are now open for the TurtleBot 4! Following a deep collaboration with our partners at Clearpath Robotics, the he latest, and ROS 2 native, TurtleBot is now available for pre-order! We’re incredibly excited to reach this milestone as it is huge accomplishment for Open Robotics, ROS 2, and the TurtleBot line of educational robots. We look forward to having a dedicated hardware platform for ROS 2 education; and we’re sure the community will enjoy the wonderful new features we’ve packed into the TurtleBot 4. While the manufacturing and design of the TurtleBot 4 was led by Clearpath Robotics, it really has been a team effort between multiple organizations in the ROS 2 ecosystem. The results are truly a work of shared vision by a number of leaders in the field of robotics.
TurtleBot 4 will be available in two models: TurtleBot 4 Standard and TurtleBot 4 Lite. Both versions are built on the iRobot Create 3, which provides an array of built-in technology including an inertial measurement unit (IMU), optical floor tracking sensor, wheel encoders, and infrared sensors for accurate localization, navigation, and telepresence. Our colleagues from iRobot have been part of the conversation from the start, and they were able to include a lot of our feedback in the design of the Create3. As such, both Turtlebot models include a charging dock, allowing for autonomous docking and battery charging. This is the first TurtleBot that comes with its own dedicated charging station, which should make running a classroom full of TurtleBots much easier!
A 2D LiDAR and a front-facing OAK-D stereo camera are fully integrated with the mobile base, making the TB4 ideal for SLAM and perception testing. Both the TurtleBot 4 and TurtleBot 4 lite use an OpenCV AI Kit depth (OAK-D) camera as their primary depth sensor; the TurtleBot 4 includes an OAK-D pro depth camera, while the TurtleBot 4 lite will ship with an OAK-D lite camera. We are incredibly excited to work with the OpenCV team on the TurtleBot 4, and foster a hardware community that directly supports open-source software.
On the topic of hardware, we’re also really excited to give hardware developers, and in particular microROS hardware developers, a platform to test their creations. With the standard TurtleBot 4 users can easily customize and expand the capabilities of the robot by integrating additional sensors and accessories via the accessible powered USB hub, power breakouts, storage drawer, and a top mounting plate. Additionally, a programmable LCD screen allows users to quickly display information from any of the ROS topics. The platform's IP address is also displayed, allowing users to quickly connect to the robot via WiFi. Students and ROS developers can customize the screen and its inputs to run their creations at the push of a button! Say goodbye to having to boot up your laptop and connecting to the robot to run a quick demo or map a whole room!
TurtleBot 4 will be equipped with a powerful Raspberry Pi 4 computer running ROS - the industry standard open-source software for robotics development. All onboard sensor data are available as ROS topics via the network-connected ROS API. This API access includes all of the sensor data from iRobot Create 3, which runs ROS 2 natively make the TurtleBot 4 a truly a ROS 2 robot from the ground up.
The TurtleBot will ship fully assembled with ROS pre-installed and configured along with detailed user documentation, a Gazebo simulation model, and demo code, allowing users to get started right out-of-the-box. The early TurtleBot models will ship with ROS 2 Galactic Geochelone, with updates to ROS 2 Humble Hawksbill planned for release shortly thereafter. The TB4 simulator was built from the ground up in Gazebo and accurately reflects both models of Turtlebot. Our hope is that by providing a comprehensive Gazebo simulation it will make building TurtleBot 4 behaviors simpler, and provide educational resource for all ROS developers, even those who don’t plan to buy a TurtleBot. Moreover, we plan to provide courseware material, including lesson plans, lecture content, tutorials, and sample tests for the TurtleBot 4, allowing for easy integration into robotics training courses
TurtleBot 4 Standard and Lite are available in North America, Europe and Asia through authorized global distributors with an MSRP of $1,750 and $1,095 USD, respectively, and will begin shipping in July 2022. Full pre-order information can be found on the Clearpath Robotics website.
