Open Outdoor Robotics platform

The goal of this project is to create a standardized outdoor robotics platform, similar to the Turtlebot. The platform will be comprised of 2, 4 or 6 wheels with custom motor controllers. The wheels are scooter hub motors( 36V 250 watts). The two wheel platform will just be used as a proof of concept/test platform for motor controller development. The 4 and 6 wheel models use a rocker-boogie suspension. Each motor will have a dedicated battery pack. The motor controllers will be an open source 3 phase brushless controllers based on the arduino zero. I hope to use the SAMC21 which is 5V tolerant. The controllers will communicate via USB to an arm board running linux and ROS(Nvidia X1). The goal is to provide customers with a clean navigation API so that customers can focus on building their applications on the platform.

The platform is a little larger than a push lawn mower.

The business model would be similar to Makerbot’s initial kit model. The basic kit will allow users to easily build the rover saving costs on labor. Fully assembled and tested models will be available as well. I would also like to build applications myself on this platform in the agricultural field.

Any feedback would be appreciated.