SCUTTLE Mobile Robot
SCUTTLE is an open-source robot project that began at Texas A&M in the department of Engineering Technology. It supports hands-on education in Mechatronics engineering and Internet of Things. This maker-friendly robot is made of globally available off-the-shelf parts and 3D printed designs. SCUTTLE is used for in-lab lessons and semester projects for the Mobile Robotics undergraduate course. It is also a platform to jumpstart a multitude of commercial projects.
Figure 1. SCUTTLE Mobile Robot Rendering
Highlights
A few goodies from our fully open-source mobile robot platform:
|
Open-Source Software Repository |
�Discord Community |
|
Open-Source CAD Models |
Computer Vision Demo |
|
|
|
|
Kits for Sale |
Tutorials & Demos |
Purpose
We searched high and low and found nothing under $1000 USD that carries over 20 pounds. So, we created SCUTTLE. The acronym, below, describes our goals.
Payload Performance
SCUTTLE is the most elemental platform to support a mobile payload. Design teams need a flexible design that accommodates add-on of a robotic arm, a tank of fluid, or a sophisticated sensor array. That means payload capability.
Affordable, Modular, Off-The-Shelf
This bot can be built with less than $350 in parts. We explored all designs available (from DIY all to Industrial Turnkey solutions). Good designs cost far above the sum of their parts, until now. Discover the parts list in the Bill of Materials below.
Let us admit, the expensive options and non-payload options have value for many scenarios! But for teams like us, we need a low-cost option and a modular one. Tear down the machine and reconfigure it to add more functions! SCUTTLE is designed for super-easy reconfiguration and super-available designs: both hardware and software. We want to open the door for makers.
Build a SCUTTLE (downloads)
Find all of the resources below to get started. In Summer of 2020 we added brand new documentation and improved the organization. We hope it is helpful!
|
Bill of Materials |
Assembly & Parts Guide |
|
Wiring Guide - Beagleboard version |
Wiring Guide - Pi version (in progress) |
|
Software Guide |
Example Project Outline |
|
Tools Guide |
Kinematics Guide |
|
IoT Guide |
Applications Guide |
Get Extra Help
Our community members are out to help each other. The noobs are here to learn and the experts want to create a self-sustaining project, so we are happy to chat.
Community
The friendly SCUTTLE discord community. Chat with other designers. Discover new projects.
For broader mobile-robot community, we encourage you to visit the r/mobileRobots on Reddit.
Project Supporters
Thanks to these groups for their support!
CREST is driving new SCUTTLE workshops and entrepreneurial challenges in Southeast Asia, linking government, industry, and academia through SCUTTLE starting in 2020.
The Mobile Integrated Solutions Laboratory at Texas A&M is an applied research team within the Engineering Technology department, and has collaborated in development and testing of the robot.
SICK USA has become a partner of the ETID department and has provided LIDAR units for the MXET Lab which are being integrated into the mobile robots.
Beagle has offered design feedback and support on integrating their education-oriented robotics hardware, the beaglebone Blue.
TI has held a longstanding partnership with the ETID at Texas A&M and supplied electronics hardware equipped with TI microcontrollers.
Keywords for this Project
Please add these terms when you share our project!
SCUTTLE, mobile robot, mechatronics, Beaglebone, beagleboard, raspberry pi, arduino, Texas A&M, ETID, Engineering Technology, Computer Vision, Automation, Multidisciplinary Engineering, Anderson Powerpole, powerwerx, vision tracking, autonomous navigation, OpenCV, Ultrasonic, Payload, low cost robot, DIY, IOT, TAMU, sensing connected utility transport taxi for lab environments, Industrial IOT, python, hackster, thingiverse, grabcad, open source, github, industrial robotics, educational robot, research, mechanical engineering, electronics, electrical engineering, roomba, mobile robotics, autonomous vehicle, dynamics, 3d printing, fdm, diy projects, linux, debian, opensource