Custom Robots

Map-building Sensor

A stereo camera or Lidar is needed to build a map of the environment. It’s preferable to choose one that comes with an IMU built-in:

Tested
- ZED 1
Should work
- Any other camera from Stereolabs
- Any camera from Orbbec
Planned for the future
- Any Lidar from Slamtec

- Motor Controller
  The robot needs a controller that accepts a ROS Twist message. The following will do this:
  
  Using the Newmind Arduino node and Arduino Mega, Adafruit Shield, and Soldering Kit.

Odometry Sensors

In addition to odometry estimated from the stereo camera or Lidar, these sensors will add to the overall robustness of your robot knowing it’s own location in the map:

Tested
- Bosch IMU
Planned for the Future
- a GPS sensor

Main Processor

The following Ubuntu computers have enough processing power and memory to keep up with navigation:

Tested
- Jetson TX2
- Jetson Nano
Should Work
- Any other microcontroller by Nvidia
- Raspberry Pi 4

Custom Builds

If you’re interested in building a custom robot, here are some examples on how to get started with generic build instructions.

Affordable Package

Inexpensive but might reach processing and power limits; for new engineers on a budget

$880

IMG_3159-225x300

[$350] ZED Stereo Camera
[$175] Arduino Mega, Adafruit Shield, Soldering Kit, HRB 11.1V LiPo, XT60 male to DC male, and Charger
[$152] Jetson Nano, WiFi Chip+Antennas, 128 GB microSD, and microSD reader
[$105] Vex Metal with Velcro
[$40] DFRobot
[$31] IMU
[$17] 3A Battery
[$6] Wall Charger

Research Package

Mid-price with robust software; for research engineers

$1,200 – $1,500

robot1-e1553784980637-225x300

[$310, $580] Jetson TX2 (education discount) with Sabrent USB 3.0
[$450] ZED Stereo Camera
[$90] Mountain Ark Tracked
[$105] Vex Metal with Velcro
[$70] Arduino Mega, Adafruit Shield, and Soldering Kit
[$70] HRB 14.8V LiPo with XT60 male to DC male
[$57] Charger
[$35] Turnigy LiPo with XT60 male to DC male
[$31] IMU