Hackerbot Wants to Be the Apple II of Personal Robotics
Hackerbot brings us closer to a future where everyone has a household robot.
Humanoid household robots are a recurring theme in science fiction literature. Isaac Asimov’s I, Robot series was set in the early 21st century, yet even today, we still don’t have robots that can perform generalized household tasks.
A lot of work is being done to put robots in factories, farms, and even on the moon, but humanoid household robots appear to be a distant dream.
Boulder-based Hackerbot Industries aims to shake things up with its new domestic robot, also named Hackerbot.
Hackerbot is a physical robot platform that can run around the house. It is built like a Roomba with an interactive head and an extensible arm. It is also completely open source, both hardware and software.
It is made up of three modular components: a mobile SLAM base for mapping and navigation, an interactive head with googly eyes, and a six-degree-of-freedom arm for gripping and manipulation. It can be programmed to handle chores, important tasks, or “just plain silly entertainment.”
Hackerbot Industries CEO Ian Bernstein says the robot “emerged from countless late nights, failed prototypes, and an unwavering belief that robotics should be accessible to everyone,” and that it is a platform “powerful enough for serious developers but accessible enough for enthusiasts.”
The Hackerbot platform is comparable to the Turtlebot series, but much cheaper and easier to use. Turtlebot is aimed at developers and enthusiasts, and it can be challenging for beginners to go from purchase to assembly and actual use. Hackerbot is designed so that anyone can get started quickly and easily.
Allen Chien, a robotics software engineer at Hackerbot Industries, says this “allows people to focus on creating use cases for robots in the world, not getting the robot to work.” Setting up Hackerbot reportedly takes less than twenty minutes.
Hackerbot works completely offline, and data is stored locally. Eschewing the Robot Operating System (ROS), the team developed a custom solution for handling mapping, localization, and path planning. It leverages a simple Python API for generating maps, implementing precise navigation, and setting up manipulation and interaction. A Raspberry Pi AI Kit can be integrated with the platform to support object detection, facial recognition, and spatial awareness applications.
The platform comes in four different models: Hackerbot Lite, Hackerbot AI, Hackerbot AI Pro, and Hackerbot AI Elite. The models are powered by the Raspberry Pi 5 single-board computer and an Arduino-based controller, except the Hackerbot Lite, which doesn’t include the Raspberry Pi 5.
The models are priced from $349 to $1749. They are aimed at different use cases, with the Hackerbot AI Elite edition being the most expensive and feature-complete. The battery typically lasts around two to three hours, depending on what you are using it for.
Unlike the now-discontinued Amazon Astro (essentially a smart display on wheels), Hackerbot has compelling use cases. It can assist the elderly, fetch small items around the home, and be used for research and education. It can also vacuum your floors and keep your house clean.
Allen draws parallels with the Homebrew Computer Club and the launch of the Apple II personal computer when focus shifted from inventing hardware to application creation. He believes Hackerbot will cause such a shift in robotics.
Hackerbot won’t clean your grill or mix cocktails, and it is not built to function as a personal assistant out of the box. It is best seen as an inexpensive and extensible platform for personal robotics development.
The hardware and software are open source. Design files, schematics, firmware, software, and tutorials are available in the company’s GitHub repositories. You can purchase a Hackerbot from their website.