[ros-users] [Discourse.ros.org] [TurtleBot] Is Turtlebot the right platform for us?

[Devon Ash]

Seems like with a budget that can barely afford two small robots, you're asking for too much here. 

I would suggest using more leverage (e.g a bigger community which already has a lot of resources.. like a Turtlebot 2), or reducing some scope. If you make a 'robot' with an arduino and a servo, im sorry but that's not really a robot course. it's a course on servo actuation. It's got to be a *bit* more complex than that.

I highly recommend demonstrating kinematic chains (e.g arms), different drive types of robots, different types of sensors, and different types of algorithms which can navigate, move, and orchestrate the robot. 

Just keep in mind, please, that a robot is a SYSTEM as much as an entire laptop is a system. This also means a microcontroller inside a mouse, is not a laptop. (which is what is proposed by only using something as small as a microcontroller and a servo.

Given also that the students learn from the teacher, I recommend getting a lot more knowledgeable real fast before they come along. Otherwise, you may want to step back again and reconsider using community leverage where there are those more knowledgeable that can help out. If you're just learning about ROS, there's no way in hell the students will be able to solely rely on you for all their questions. 

So, you need a super community supported robot/system (you HAVE to use ROS here, given the above constraint). I've answered that for you.

You should also spend your budget on something that makes a lot more sense and is an entire robot system. If the class size is 8-9 students, they can take turns loading software on it, or all be ssh'd into it in the same time. They don't all need their own robot. That's a bit grandiose. 

Also, don't bullshit around on anything that's not a full computer. ROS works best on an Ubuntu 16.04/14.04 operating system and not on an ARM device. You'll want to not be constrained by performance when picking and choosing modules. it will cost you a lot more in time and grief than the difference in price between a RaspBerryPI and a $700-800 intel NUC/mini-ITX form factor computer.

With a platform like this, you don't have to worry about where to go next. Software on a proper computer will take you to the sky and limit of research in robotics (mostly). Given you're teaching introductory ROS, a platform like this could easily give you 4 semesters of course data, and with thought, 2-4 more.

At least give the students a fighting chance. If you get the kids (If they're graduate level) working on an mBot to do 'research' or 'learn on', the mBot is nothing like the robots in industry or used in academia, you aren't setting them up for a future or helping them out by showing them whatever you're coding on an mBot.

I can tell you that if I saw an mBot on a resume or information about it (unless otherwise extremely spectacularily innovative or doing something NEVER done before), I would assume that it was a highschool project or something someone did in a weekend that showed no real effort put in towards robotics.







My 2C.





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