Clearpath Robotics Launches Jackal Unmanned Ground Vehicle

Clearpath Robotics today released Jackal Unmanned Ground Vehicle (UGV) at the International Conference for Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS) in Chicago. Jackal is portable, fully-integrated, and weatherproof, enabling researchers to bring their research to the field faster, and with more flexibility, than ever before.

“We designed Jackal for quick and easy application development,” said Julian Ware, General Manager for Research Products at Clearpath Robotics. “Jackal’s standard accessories come fully integrated with documented libraries and programming examples. Everything about the robot is ready to work out of the box.”

Watch the Jackal in action:

Jackal offers end-to-end integration including a built-in GPS, IMU, and computer, and a configurable top-plate. Engineered for ruggedness, Jackal’s sturdy metal chassis, weatherproof design and skid-steer drive enables all-terrain operation, as well as lab experimentation, for a variety of applications. The ROS-ready platform allows users to leverage the open source community, and the complete ROS API provides full visibility into the operation of the system. Jackal automatically detects the standard perception packages at startup, providing necessary ROS driver and simulation integration.

Jackal originated as a contract from US Army Research Labs (ARL) to create an affordable, portable research platform for outdoor use. ARL have been strong partners throughout the development phase by providing feedback for iteration on the platform’s performance and capabilities.