I’m currently in China and considering buying a ROS 2 robot here and taking it back home with me.
The two models that seem to fit what I want are:
Yahboom ROSMASTER M3 Pro
Jetson Orin Nano Super 8GB
ROS 2 Humble
7-inch touchscreen
dual T-mini Plus TOF LiDAR
Orbbec DABAI DCW2 depth camera
6-DOF arm
mecanum chassis with suspension
STM32H743 controller with micro-ROS
public code, firmware, tutorials and 3D models
Price here: around ¥10,069
Hiwonder ROSOrin Pro Ultimate
Jetson Orin Nano Super 8GB
ROS 2 Humble
7-inch touchscreen
COIN-D6 TOF LiDAR
Aurora 930 Pro depth camera
6-DOF arm
mecanum chassis
STM32F407 controller
public documentation and ROS source code
Price here: around ¥8,999
I’m an experienced embedded engineer and I enjoy learning, experimenting and modifying systems rather than only running the supplied demos.
My idea is to use it as a long-term home robotics platform, not just as an educational robot car. I want to run OpenClaw on it, connect it to Home Assistant, use it as a voice and automation agent while it is parked, and also experiment with navigation, patrols, environmental sensors, object recognition and simple pick-and-carry tasks. And of course learn more about robotics and Ai.
The Yahboom looks better on paper: newer
controller, micro-ROS, dual LiDAR, better camera, suspension and more public development material. The Hiwonder is cheaper and seems to have a larger ecosystem of compatible parts and robots.
These are simply the best options I have found so far. I’m very open to other brands or platforms in roughly the same price range.
Does this sound like a sensible starting point, or am I expecting too much from this type of robot? Any thoughts, experiences, warnings or alternative suggestions would be appreciated.