Kobuki is an mobile base for open-source research and development purposes. It can be used to quickly and cheaply build research platforms and also provides access to other open source software, including ROS. The result is a product that can very easily utilise existing 3D sensing technologies and navigation algorithms to develop applications for research.
SPECIFICATIONS
FUNCTIONAL SPECIFICATION
Maximum translational velocity: 70 cm/s Maximum rotational velocity: 180 deg/s (>110 deg/s gyro performance will degrade) Payload: 5 kg (hard floor), 4 kg (carpet) Cliff: will not drive off a cliff with a depth greater than 5cm Threshold Climbing: climbs thresholds of 12 mm or lower Rug Climbing: climbs rugs of 12 mm or lower Expected Operating Time: 3/7 hours (small/large battery) Expected Charging Time: 1.5/2.6 hours (small/large battery) Docking: within a 2mx5m area in front of the docking station HARDWARE SPECIFICATION
PC Connection: USB or via RX/TX pins on the parallel port Motor Overload Detection: disables power on detecting high current (>3A) Odometry: 52 ticks/enc rev, 2578.33 ticks/wheel rev, 11.7 ticks/mm Gyro: factory calibrated, 1 axis (110 deg/s) Bumpers: left, center, right Cliff sensors: left, center, right Wheel drop sensor: left, right Power connectors: 5V/1A, 12V/1.5A, 12V/5A Expansion pins: 3.3V/1A, 5V/1A, 4 x analog in, 4 x digital in, 4 x digital out Audio : several programmable beep sequences Programmable LED: 2 x two-coloured LED State LED: 1 x two coloured LED [Green - high, Orange - low, Green & Blinking - charging] Buttons: 3 x touch buttons Battery: Lithium-Ion, 14.8V, 2200 mAh (4S1P - small), 4400 mAh (4S2P - large) Firmware upgradeable: via usb Sensor Data Rate: 50Hz Recharging Adapter: Input: 100-240V AC, 50/60Hz, 1.5A max; Output: 19V DC, 3.16A Netbook recharging connector (only enabled when robot is recharging): 19V/2.1A DC Docking IR Receiver: left, centre, right Diameter : 351.5mm / Height : 124.8mm / Weight : 2.35kg (4S1P - small) SOFTWARE SPECIFICATION
C++ drivers for linux and windows ROS node Gazebo Simulation Contents
1x Kobuki 1x Small Battery Pack 1x Charger 1x USB Cable 1x Power Cable REFERENCE PLATFORMS
CUSTOMISING KOBUKI
The Kobuki is a mobile base. It has sensors, motors and power sources, however by itself, it cannot do anything.
To be functional, it requires you to build your platform on top of it's shell. On the hardware side, this usually involves adding a netbook or an embedded board to be the computational core for your system and usually a few extra sensors to make it truly functional. On the software side, this involves either building all of your own software or integrating software from other groups with your own development sources.
This can take time, effort and money. If you want to get started quickly, or a standardised platform for your group you can either use an existing reference platform or ask your nearest distributor to customise a packaged platform for your group.
REFERENCE PLATFORMS
Turtlebot 2 - tap into the power of RoS with a complete software framework built around a mobile 3d sensing platform
