Frindo Open Source Robotics Platform for Arduino and Raspberry Pi Boards

Frindo is both a community and an open source robotics platform designed to work with Arduino, Raspberry Pi, and possibly other micro-controller boards. The platform is said to have been designed as an educational platform so that beginners can start with a simple robot, and build a more complex robot as their skills grow.

There are currently three Frindo kits available from RobotBits.co.uk:

Frindo chassis only kit for £64.95 (~$104) – Chassis plates, motors, wheels, wheel brackets, Arduino & Pi mounting kit & all hardware.
Frindo Arduino kit for £110.95 (~$178) – Chassis only kit + Arduino, RobotShield, battery clip, power cable & USB cable
Frindo Arduino kit plus sensors for £159.9 (~$257) – Arduino kit + 3x each: GP2Y0A21 analog distance sensors, bracket, cable & fixings

The RobotShield is an Arduino shield optimized for mobile robotics applications with the following features:

Dual bi-directional motor driver circuit (2 Amp Peak, 1.1 Amp continuous)
Easy screw-terminal motor connection
3-pin Servo headers on all I/O’s
Thermal overload protection
Dedicated Arduino Library for robot applications
Separate headers for I2C, SPI and Serial ports
Integrated I2C pull-up resistors
Reset switch and power indicator
Auxiliary power connector

Frindo.org is still very new, and much of it is still work in progress, with the forums being basically inactive right now, but you can already access some tutorials, and download mechanical drawings for Frindo chassis, schematics & PCB layout files for the RobotShield, and code examples for both the Arduino and Raspberry Pi boards.

Frindo is currently only available in the UK via RobotBits.co.uk, and the community is looking for other distributors.

Via LinuxGizmos

Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft)

Jean-Luc started CNX Software in 2010 as a part-time endeavor, before quitting his job as a software engineering manager, and starting to write daily news, and reviews full time later in 2011.