Clearpath Robotics has announced the launch of Dingo, an indoor research robot, at the International Conference for Intelligent Robots and Systems in Macau.
According top Clearpath, Dingo is a “compact, lightweight and cost-effective indoor robotic platform that is extensible and programmable, and designed to accelerate robotics research and education”.
“We have seen a gap in the market for a system with these capabilities and believe Dingo is a cost-effective, ROS-ready indoor platform suitable for bench-top and laboratory testing,” said Julian Ware, general manager at Clearpath Robotics. “The lower cost also makes the use of multi-robot systems more accessible than with other robots.”
Dingo will be offered in two drive configurations – differential and omnidirectional – making it suitable for a wide range of indoor robotics applications ranging from autonomous navigation, mobile manipulation, and mapping. Its accompanying tutorials also make it suitable for classroom and lab teaching.
Dingo will launch with a range of computing options, and the ability to upgrade battery power, allowing users to customise the robot to their specific application. Dingo can reach speeds of 1.3m/s (4.2ft/s) and carry a payload of up to 20kg (44 lb).
Designed for end-to-end integration and customisation, Dingo includes wheel encoders, programmable front-facing LED lights and a payload mounting system, as well as tool-less access to user power and communication ports for integrating sensors, manipulators, and other third-party hardware.
Dingo also comes with Clearpath’s Robot Operating System (ROS) preconfigured and a Gazebo simulation model, allowing researchers to get started quickly with existing research and open-source ROS libraries.
