TurtleBot4

Based on published sources · Not tested by us · Sources checked 2026-10-01

Overview

ROS 2 mobile research platform on an iRobot Create 3 base, with distinct Standard/Lite sensor packages and distribution-specific base-firmware requirements. [S005] [S006]

TurtleBot 4 combines an iRobot Create 3 mobile base, a Raspberry Pi 4B and ROS 2 software for education and research. Both Standard and Lite use the RPLIDAR A1M8; Standard adds an OAK-D-Pro camera, a user-interface board and a sensor tower, while Lite uses OAK-D-Lite and a simpler arrangement. Those differences matter when choosing a sensor workload or planning an accessory. [S005]

Official website · Source code

Specifications

Detail	Description
Type	Differential-drive mobile platform built on the iRobot Create 3. Reported by source [S005] [S007] · Checked 2026-10-01
Intended users	ROS developers and teaching labs using an assembled mobile platform Editorial assessment [S001] · Checked 2026-10-01
Assembly	Commercial base and add-on platform; hardware archive supplies assembly geometry, component drawings and a PCB manufacturing ZIP, not a verified complete Create 3 manufacturing package. Artifact-scope assessment; files were preserved but not manufactured. Editorial assessment [S005] [S009] [S010] · Checked 2026-10-01
Calibration	Not known
Operating system	Ubuntu 22.04 with ROS 2 Humble; Ubuntu 24.04 with ROS 2 Jazzy Manual host-platform pairings; selected common-code snapshot and other repositories must be matched to the chosen distribution. Reported by source [S006] · Checked 2026-10-01
Computer needed	Not known

3D preview

Preview not available yet. A model has not yet been prepared and approved for display on this page. This does not mean the project lacks CAD files; see Source files and licenses for the reviewed source availability.

Assembly and use

Pick the software combination before updating

The preserved manual pairs Humble with Ubuntu 22.04 and Jazzy with Ubuntu 24.04. Create 3 firmware must match: H-series firmware is for Humble, and I-series is for Jazzy. The Jazzy instructions additionally distinguish separate Fast DDS and Cyclone DDS firmware images; the base cannot switch between them in the same way as earlier versions. Updating to an arbitrary newer firmware is therefore not a complete setup strategy. [S006]

The turtlebot4 repository reviewed here contains common packages used by physical and simulated robots. It is not the whole system: the manual distinguishes robot, desktop and simulator packages. Match those packages and the base firmware to the chosen distribution, rather than assuming the common repository's source snapshot supplies a complete robot image. [S001] [S002] [S008]

Network configuration affects the interfaces you use

The setup guide starts with configuring the Raspberry Pi's network connection and then choosing the appropriate discovery configuration. Where the Create 3 republisher is enabled, the Pi relays selected topics, actions and services so the base is not exposed to all network discovery traffic. The manual says ordinary user nodes should use those republished interfaces, not the hidden _do_not_use namespace. A visible Pi on Wi-Fi is only one part of establishing the intended ROS communication path. [S006] [S007]

This review did not configure a robot, measure network performance or run navigation. A sensible first validation is to confirm the selected firmware/middleware combination and the required sensor/control interfaces before adding a mapping or navigation workload. [S006] [S007]

Distinguish modification files from a complete open build

The separately preserved hardware repository includes assembly geometry, component STEP/DXF/PDF files and a PCB manufacturing ZIP. The manual uses these files to support accessory design and modifications to the integration plate. Their presence does not establish a complete reproducible manufacturing package for the purchased Create 3 base. [S009] [S010]

The common software repository has an Apache-2.0 license. This review has not established the precise reuse terms for the separate hardware archive, manual, base firmware and every sensor dependency; it therefore records partial openness rather than extending the software license across the physical robot. No current complete purchase price or delivered-build budget was verified. [S003] [S005] [S010]

Cost

No current, complete configuration-specific build cost has been established for this profile.

Source files and licenses

Available project sources support research coverage; complete build and commercial qualification remain separate.

Layer	Availability / license
mechanical design	available · License not fully assessed Hardware archive preserved; geometry/drawings and PCB manufacturing ZIP found. Complete base manufacturing sources and precise hardware reuse terms not verified. [S009] [S010]
electronics	available · License not fully assessed Hardware archive preserved; geometry/drawings and PCB manufacturing ZIP found. Complete base manufacturing sources and precise hardware reuse terms not verified. [S009] [S010]
firmware	not found · License not fully assessed Base firmware downloads/version requirements documented; matching source code and reuse terms not established here. [S006] [S007]
software	available · Apache-2.0 Common-package repository only; robot, desktop, base and sensor dependencies need separate version/license matching. [S003] [S008]
documentation	available · License not fully assessed Manual source preserved separately; documentation-wide reuse terms not established. [S005] [S006]

Mobile platform profile selects no pretrained model or dataset.

References

Links identify the documentation and revisions used in this profile. Access dates record when each source was retrieved.

S001 · turtlebot / project contributors
Upstream project overview
Accessed 2026-10-01 · README.md
Source notes
Source text inspected for the cited scoped claims; see profile claim notes.
S002 · turtlebot / project contributors
Repository revision and release metadata
Accessed 2026-10-01 · 7fd29fb420e906f3aca4a904adb54b69b11c7c00
Source notes
Source text inspected for the cited scoped claims; see profile claim notes.
S003 · turtlebot / project contributors
Repository license
Accessed 2026-10-01 · LICENSE
Source notes
Source text inspected for the cited scoped claims; see profile claim notes.
S004 · turtlebot / project contributors
Pinned repository artifact inventory
Accessed 2026-10-01 · 7fd29fb420e906f3aca4a904adb54b69b11c7c00 archive file inventory
Source notes
Source text inspected for the cited scoped claims; see profile claim notes.
S005 · turtlebot / project contributors
TurtleBot 4 manual: overview/features.md
Accessed 2026-10-01 · 4455a75dde3f052b5abf615dade22bece84120b0 / overview/features.md
Source notes
Source text inspected for the cited scoped claims; see profile claim notes.
S006 · turtlebot / project contributors
TurtleBot 4 manual: setup/basic.md
Accessed 2026-10-01 · 4455a75dde3f052b5abf615dade22bece84120b0 / setup/basic.md
Source notes
Source text inspected for the cited scoped claims; see profile claim notes.
S007 · turtlebot / project contributors
TurtleBot 4 manual: software/create3.md
Accessed 2026-10-01 · 4455a75dde3f052b5abf615dade22bece84120b0 / software/create3.md
Source notes
Source text inspected for the cited scoped claims; see profile claim notes.
S008 · turtlebot / project contributors
TurtleBot 4 manual: software/turtlebot4_common.md
Accessed 2026-10-01 · 4455a75dde3f052b5abf615dade22bece84120b0 / software/turtlebot4_common.md
Source notes
Source text inspected for the cited scoped claims; see profile claim notes.
S009 · turtlebot / project contributors
TurtleBot 4 manual: mechanical/turtlebot4.md
Accessed 2026-10-01 · 4455a75dde3f052b5abf615dade22bece84120b0 / mechanical/turtlebot4.md
Source notes
Source text inspected for the cited scoped claims; see profile claim notes.
S010 · turtlebot / project contributors
Preserved hardware archive inventory
Accessed 2026-10-01 · Separate hardware snapshot and complete outer archive file inventory
Source notes
Source text inspected for the cited scoped claims; see profile claim notes.

Research and review details

Source research only; no installation, physical build or performance test performed. No affiliate links added.

Profile edited 2026-10-01 · Sources checked 2026-10-01 · Next review target 2026-10-31

Revision: 7fd29fb420e906f3aca4a904adb54b69b11c7c00 (commit snapshot; no published stable release found). Combined hardware and software repository activity recorded 2025-09-09 [S002]

Correction guidance · Discussion is not enabled · Profile format 0.6.0-draft.1

Change history