EA-MOBI Feature Comparison to MobileRobots' P3DX

The table below compares the Erratic mobile robot platform, ERA-MOBI, in its standard configuration, to a similarly-equipped Pioneer III robot from MobileRobots (formerly ActivMedia). The features are taken from the MobileRobots web site. Many of the features that are standard on ERA-MOBI come as accessories for the P3DX - these are indicated in the last column. We won't publish MobileRobots' pricing here, but their Educational Discount price for the features below is more than 3x the price of ERA-MOBI.

Feature	ERA-MOBI	P3DX	P3DX Accessory Cost
Base platform size	40cm (L) x 41cm (W) x 15 cm (H)	44cm (L) x 38cm (W) x 22cm (H)
Drive type	Differential, single rear caster Rear caster 3.5" diameter - does not "hang up" easily on cords, thresholds, etc.	Same Rear caster 2" diameter
Maximum speed	2.0 m/sec	1.2 m/sec
Motors	DC reversible with gearhead Encoder, 500 counts/revolution	Same
Controller	16 bit microcontroller	32 bit microcontroller
Power	12V, 7AH lead-acid batteries (x3) 5A charger	12V, 7AH lead-acid battery (1 included) 1A charger	2 extra batteries 5A charger
Weight	4.5 Kg (base) 12 Kg (base + 3 batteries)	6.5 Kg (base) 14 Kg (base + 3 batteries)
Payload	20 Kg (with 3 batteries)	18 Kg (with 3 batteries)
Onboard PC	1.6 GHz Celeron M 40 GB hard drive, 512 MB memory FireWire, USB, serial, wireless (802.11 b/g) and wired ethernet Ubuntu Linux and Player/Stage installed	1.6 GHz VersaLogic PC 20 GB hard drive, 512 MB memory Wireless ethernet, 802.11b Linux and Pioneer software installed	Extra Extra Extra
Platform sensors	IR floor sensors Sonar ring, 8 sonars +$350	Sonar ring, 8 sonars