LoCoBot Autonomous Mobile Manipulator (ROS compatible)

LoCoBot: an ROS mobile manipulator for navigation and handling

LoCoBot (for Low-Cost-Robot) is designed around an indoor mobile base equipped with a robotic arm. Created specifically for developing AI applications involving autonomous navigation and manipulation, it includes:

• A Yujin Kobuki mobile base
• A WidowX 200 articulated robotic arm

This open-source mobile manipulator is controlled by the Intel NUC NUC7i5BNH mini PC with a dual-core processor running at 2.2 to 3.4 GHz. It offers 8 GB of RAM and 250 GB of SSD. Powered by the Dynamixel actuators, this robot is equipped with a 3D camera, a 3-axis IMU with gyroscope, accelerometer and magnetometer, and collision and edge detectors.

Supported by its Robotis actuators and integrated sensors, LoCoBot is an ideal robotics solution for developing AI applications using the PyRobot interface. This interface is also used on the Sawyer 7-axis collaborative arm dedicated to research and education. A chess-playing robot, builder, waste collector... the possibilities offered by LoCoBot have just grown thanks to a programming ecosystem that has recently switched to an open-source version.

Work on new applications with PyRobot

LoCoBot has a mobile base with an integrated robotic arm that uses the AI programming interface developed jointly by Facebook and Carnegie Mellon. PyRobot offers development support dedicated to researchers with no particular knowledge of robotics and robotics students. This makes developing ROS applications for machine learning easier for developers seeking to familiarise themselves with robotics and with real-world use cases.

The PyRobot programming ecosystem became open source in June 2019, and has even been the subject of a call for proposals to develop applications designed specifically for the LoCoBot mobile manipulator.

Technical specifications of the LoCoBot robotics kit

• Comes partially assembled (arm and pan-and-tilt system assembled, camera tower not assembled)
• Mini-PC INTEL NUC – NUC7i5BNH
• Intel Dual Core i5-7260U 2.20 GHz up to 3.4 GHz
• RAM: 8 GB
• SSD: 250 GB
• Intel Iris Plus graphics processing unit
• Connectivity: 802.11ac WiFi/Bluetooth 4.0
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• Sensors:
• 3D Intel RealSense D435 camera
• Accelerometer/Gyroscope/Magnetometer
• Edge detection and bumper sensors
• Kobuki mobile base
• WindowX 200 mobile arm
• Max. translational velocity: 70 cm/s
• Max. rotational velocity: 180 deg/s (>110 deg/s gyro performance will degrade)
• Load capacity: 2 kg
• Cliff depth: 5 cm
• Max. threshold climbing: 12 mm
• Max. rug climbing: 12 mm
• Autonomy: 4–6 h
• Charge time: 2–3 h

Resources for the LoCoBot mobile platform

Check out the extensive documentation available for LoCoBot, with everything a budding programmer will need.

• LoCoBot Mobile Robot Guide
• PyRoBot Github

Dynamixel manuals

• Dynamixel SDK
• Dynamixel XL430-W250 Manual
• Dynamixel XM430-W350 Manual
• OpenCM Controller E-Manual
• OpenCM IDE