  One of the goals in telepresence is to be able to perform daily tasks
remotely. A key requirement for this is a robust and reliable mobile robotic
platform. Ideally, such a platform should support 360-degree stereoscopic
vision and semi-autonomous telemanipulation ability. In this technical report,
we present our latest work on designing the telepresence mobile robot platform
called MAVI. MAVI is a low-cost and robust but extendable platform for research
and educational purpose, especially for machine vision and human interaction in
telepresence setups. The MAVI platform offers a balance between modularity,
capabilities, accessibility, cost and an open source software framework. With a
range of different sensors such as Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU), 360-degree
laser rangefinder, ultrasonic proximity sensors, and force sensors along with
smart actuation in omnidirectional holonomic locomotion, high load cylindrical
manipulator, and actuated stereoscopic Pan-Tilt-Roll Unit (PTRU), not only MAVI
can provide the basic feedbacks from its surroundings, but also can interact
within the remote environment in multiple ways. The software architecture of
MAVI is based on the Robot Operating System (ROS) which allows for the easy
integration of the state-of-the-art software packages.
