SIG Meeting Notes (2011-09-20)

Communication

• More heads up on new developments. Create a mailing list on hardware development.
• Clients would like more visibility for future plans
• Lots of requests for hardware from clients, possibly collaborate within the
• Create a wiki on the turtlebot_hardware trac, feature requests roadmap in trac

Hardware Standardization

• Fixing the hole patterns across all turtlebots
  • Suggestion: Adapter for PR2 mounting pattern
  • email turtlebot-users about mounting hold preferences
• If making a new hardware mod, URDF should be provided by the Vendor

• Goofy accessories are great for the MakeProjects website

• Make a REP defining what is a TurtleBot V1.0

• Fix the distance between the top plate to 8”
• Center of robot directly under the center
• URDF stored with calibrations in ROS_HOME
• kinect_link naming.

Distribution Discussions

• KB Design seeing demand for Roomba based TurtleBots in the USA, Clearpath and iHeartEngineering could “distribute” the KB power boards.

• RobotShop is distributing clearpath robots in france? KB will follow up with Clearpath

• KB and clearpath might want to collabroate on flag sourcing, clearpath might want to buy in bulk.

TurtleBot 2.0

• Phillips is interested in doing a Create equivalent , has contacted Koen, Ryan would like to talk to them

• Willow’s positive about a TurtleBot 2.0, happy to let the others take the lead. Start a new discussion later.

Electrical

• Gryo:
  • Switch to newer gyro, but still 5V. 150-300 deg/sec.
  • BGA is hard for hobbyists

• Bill will coordinate PowerBoard SIG. Post feature list to TurtleBot hardware wiki. Initial page posted at: https://kforge.ros.org/turtlebothw/trac/wiki/PowerBoard/RedesignFall2011

• Melonee will setup face-to-face next week.

Software

• Electric Debian release later this week.
  • ISO will be updated later. Bill will coordinate with Austin.
• Network configuration
  • We’ll wait for core/zeroconf SIG
• Demo GUI
  • Looks for all demos, button to roslaunch.
  • Webpage running on the turtlebot?
  • Similar to general ROS apps
• Feedback:
  • Service doesn’t work without networking, won’t start and shutsdown at the end
  • Kinect being off by default is confusing, should push back to openni driver to add hardware, detect that the kinect is powered off, and publishing rate.
• Might want a successful startup sound, detect all the nodes successfully launched, and plays sound.
• Koen will bring EU Power Board to Willow and we’ll integrate into base turtlebot stack.

• Should write a TurtleBot paper, possibly ICRA Commercial