Robot1

Robot1 is an autonomous mobile robot developed for research and education in the field of robotics. It is designed as a modular platform suitable for experiments in perception, navigation, manipulation, and human-robot interaction. The project emphasizes affordability, interoperability, and safety, enabling use in university labs and makerspaces.

Origin and design: Robot1 was introduced in the early 2010s as an open‑hardware platform created by a consortium of universities and research institutes. The chassis uses a differential drive with two powered wheels and a passive caster, allowing stable operation on smooth indoor surfaces. The platform typically hosts a sensor suite consisting of a lidar scanner, depth camera or stereo vision, an inertial measurement unit, and wheel encoders. It supports standard robotics software through the Robot Operating System (ROS) and compatible middleware.

Capabilities: It provides real-time localization and mapping (SLAM), obstacle avoidance, and autonomous navigation. Researchers can program higher-level behaviors for exploration, task execution, or human-robot collaboration. Optional payloads include robotic grippers or tool mounts for manipulation experiments. The open‑source nature and modular hardware facilitate customization and rapid prototyping.

Impact and reception: Robot1 has been adopted by several academic labs and educational programs as a low-cost, modifiable platform for robotics curricula and research prototypes. It has contributed to work in perception, planning, and human-robot interaction, and has inspired similar open platforms. Variants and successors continue to evolve in the open‑source community.