Bits: Willow Garage Introduces TurtleBot Robot

It looks as if I can finally stop trying to train my dog to fetch a bagel and coffee from the kitchen each morning. Instead, I’ll be able to use a new robot, the TurtleBot, which is made by the robotics company Willow Garage.

Willow Garage, which is based in Menlo Park, Calif., makes a number of robots that range in price and shape — some are downright?scary looking — but the TurtleBot seems to be one of the first aimed at hobby roboticists. In a company blog post Willow Garage said that since its “mission is to bring personal robotics to the home, we feel that the time is ripe to put a low-cost, personal robot kit” in the hands of hobbyists and developers.

illow Garage The TurtleBot is a novice robot kit that starts at $500.

The TurtleBot uses a number of off-the-shelf components, including an Xbox Kinect controller, which the robot uses to visually navigate?its surroundings. The robot also uses free open-source software that can be adapted to make it perform a number of tasks.

For example, the TurtleBot could be used to take?panoramic?pictures of a person’s home and continually upload the images to the Web, acting like a mini security guard. Alternately it could navigate its way through a home and deliver objects to people between rooms — maybe a bagel and coffee?

The new robot comes in two models, which cost?between?$500 and $1,200. The prices change based on the peripherals customers need for their little digital servant, including a built-in computer or additional battery pack.

Willow Garage is clearly going after the novice programmer with this product. There is no soldering or electrical engineering required when setting up the robot; the Web site says the “TurtleBot assembles quickly with just a single screwdriver included in the kit.”