With the unfortunate news of iRobot declaring bankruptcy, I worry about what’s going to happen to the Turtlebot 4 and the iRobot Create 3 mobile base. I know that chapter 11 is not the end and I’m really hoping iRobot can find a way to continue operating, but are there any plans to replace the mobile base like with the Turtlebot 2 and the Kobuki base from YUJIN? Is there going to be a Turtlebot 5?
Indeed my TB5-WaLI (TurtleBot4-RaspberryPi5-Wallfollower-Looking-for-Intelligence) is wondering if the Create3 Iron firmware, and Jazzy TurtleBot4 release are it for him. He really, really wanted to try RTMap with his stereo-depth camera, have reliable nav2 startup, and not crash when waking up the LIDAR when undocking.
WaLI has been alive 8115 hours, with 1497 dockings:
*** TB5-WaLI TOTAL LIFE STATISTICS ***
Total Awake: 8115.65 hrs
Total Naps: 0 hrs
Total Life: 8115.65 hrs (since Jan 09, 2025)
"Noticed Dockings": 16
Playtimes (Undocked-Docked): 1481
Total Dockings: 1497
Average playtime (last five) 1.5 hrs
Average docked time (last two) 1.4 hrs
Sessions (boot): 58
Average Session: 139.9 hrs
Safety Shutdowns: 2
Total Travel: 1442.4 meters 4732.2 feet
Last Docking: 2025-12-20 21:16|wali_node.py| ** WaLI dock goal result - Docking: success at battery 19% after 1.0 hrs playtime **
Last Recharge: 2025-12-20 20:14|wali_node.py| ** WaLI Undocking: success at battery 100%, docked for 1.4 hrs **
23:19:57 up 7 days, 11:11, 1 user, load average: 0.25, 0.29, 0.33
The Create3 processor is a bit under-powered but with the republisher isolating the Create3 base from the non-relevant Turtlebot4 traffic, WaLI is a capable ROS 2 robot.
Just about time to replace his battery for the new year.
@RobotDreams that’s really cool, glad that you’re having so much fun with the Turtlebot.
However my post was more about concerns about the future of the Create base now that iRobot filed for bankrupcy. It seems that at least the consumer market is safe, with Picea (their current primary manufacturer) buying iRobot.
I haven’t found any info about the Create base anywhere and if Picea will continue manufacturing it. Hopefully it will, but it’s good to have a plan B so we can switch to another provider if needed (like YUJIN, for example).
Clearpath Robotics, the manufacturer of the TurtleBot 4, posted an article about the iRobot situation at the start of 2025. We have confirmed with Clearpath that this article still holds true. They expect the TurtleBot 4 to be available into late 2026.
We are currently in the planning stages for the TurtleBot 5. It is not expected to launch until after the TurtleBot 4 stock is exhausted, so if you need a robot, you shouldn’t wait.
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