Name: iRobot Create 2
Brand: iRobot (USA)

Was $199Launch price 2014; used units on eBay.

Discontinued · used/leftover onlyPython from a laptopRoomba 600 hackSerial Open InterfaceCheapNo camera

Possibly ≤ 1 weekShipping: Used only. Discontinued; used units turn up on eBay, and plain Roomba 600-series vacuums speak the same Open Interface.

Remote control: A laptop (or Pi riding on top) sends Open Interface serial commands through the USB cable using Python libraries like pycreate2.

Wikipedia ↗pycreate2 ↗

Overview

A repurposed Roomba with a documented serial protocol, and the base of countless university projects and home-built TurtleBot clones. It replaced the original 2007 Create and was succeeded by the ROS 2 Create 3. Needs a tether or an on-board SBC and has no camera, but used units are cheap.

Specifications

Category	Wheeled rovers · Laptop is the brain
Released	2014
Availability	Discontinued · used/leftover only
Programmability	Full SDK
Best for	Ages 14+ (estimated)
Vision sensors	No vision sensors
Actuators	DC / gear motors
Audio	Speaker
Compute type	Proprietary / undisclosed, Laptop / PC as the brain
Remote control	Python from a laptop
Size	34 cm diameter, 9.2 cm tall, 3.6 kg (7.9 lb)
Drive	2-wheel differential (refurbished Roomba 600 series)
Compute	None for the user; controlled over a USB-to-serial cable
Vision	None
Lidar	None
Sensors	Bumpers, cliff and wall IR sensors, wheel drops, encoders, light bumper
Runtime	Not published by iRobot; battery charges in about 3 h
Speed	0.5 m/s max
SDK	iRobot Open Interface (documented serial protocol); community Python libraries such as `pycreate2`; ROS drivers