Thanks to Xiaomi’s Cyberdog, robot dogs don’t need to cost an arm or a leg, or as much as a small car. Still, a grand and a half is still a lot for some aspiring roboticists and hobbyists.
This is where super tiny robot dogs like TiBeast and Petoi, come in. Even better, there’s going to be a new entrant in this tiny robot dog market and it is called Mini Pupper Open-Source ROS (Robot Operating System) Robot Dog from a robotic company, MangDang.
MangDang’s Mini Pupper is based on the Stanford Pupper we saw last year which, as the product name suggests, is ROS-compatible. MiniPupper aims to be a robotic platform that will be accessible to academic institutions, families, and enthusiasts.
In addition to being compatible with ROS code standards, Mini Pupper can also work with cameras and LIDAR to enable autonomous navigation and surveillance.
A fully outfitted Mini Pupper could leverage on SLAM to map out unknown environments, detects and avoid obstacles, track objects, and more. It won’t be cheap, cheap as one might imagine, though. It will cost anywhere between 600-1,000 bucks if you source the parts yourself, or procure a parts kit.
If you are interested, you may want to get yourself signed up to be notified of its launch where you could receive an exclusive 40% discount. However, there is no indication when exactly it will be launched.
In the meantime, you may learn more about the Mini Pupper Open-Source ROS Robot Dog HERE.
Images: MangDang Technology Co., Ltd.
