UiAbot: A Versatile Autonomous Mobile Robot Platform for Research and Education

Abstract

This paper presents UiAbot, an innovative autonomous mobile robot platform developed at the University of Agder to bridge the gap in hands-on robotics education. Using cost-effective sensors and the Robotic Operating System with the Navigation Stack, this internally developed platform facilitates advanced autonomous navigation, surpassing predecessors such as the TurtleBot3 in flexibility, functionality, and affordability. Integrated into master courses and research, the UiAbot demonstrates its effectiveness as an educational and research platform, showcasing the impact of open source technologies in democratizing robotics research and enhancing educational methodologies in autonomous systems.