Interview: TurtleBot Inventors Tell Us Everything About the Robot

As part of our tutorial series on TurtleBot, we’re exploring the history of the robot, and there’s no better way to tackle that subject than to talk directly to its creators, Tully Foote (left) and Melonee Wise (right), who developed the robot while at Willow Garage. With all the power of ROS behind it, TurtleBot is a unique platform for robotics development, and we wanted to learn more.

It’s hard to overestimate the impact that ROS has had on the robotics community, but the expense and complexity of the software and hardware that it depends on is generally beyond the scope of most educators, students, and hobbyists. Through TurtleBot, Melonee and Tully have created a way for anyone to access a capable and well-documented ROS platform, supported by a vibrant community of users that they’ve helped cultivate. TurtleBot, and projects like it, are ensuring the longevity of open source and the future of robotics by helping the next generation of humans build the next generation of robots. [Read More]