When science fiction authors imagined robots in the 20th century, many of them were huge imposing steel automatons. [Shane]’s designs for the Pretty Small Robot are quite contrary to that, being tiny in stature and cute in affect.
The whole robot is an exploration in nifty engineering. It uses an easy clip-together structure with fasteners and glue not required. The chassis is 3D printed, with all the components sliding into place. Two small DC gearmotors are used for differential drive, with each side of the robot having a pair of wheels wrapped in a rubber band for traction. The brains of the robot is an ESP32, providing it with both plenty of processing power and good connectivity options. Control is over WiFI via MQTT.
At this stage the robot doesn’t do a whole lot, though [Shane] has some exciting plans. He’d like to add a camera in future and let it explore a maze under human command.
If you’ve ever wanted to build a robot with an almost coin-sized foot print, this build is for you. Files are available on GitHub for those wishing to dive deeper. Video after the break.
I think it could pass the butter..
I tried making a robot about that size, failed miserably when the custom PCB failed to register as a usb device properly. Ah, the joys of a broken project that you never will find again and will continue to haunt you for eternity ( or 800,000 years)
Start from scratch. Persue your old dream. Don’t go to the grave, not seeing this through!
Looks like a start on a half size Micromouse entry.
This micro robot reminds me of the cover of an old Small Parts catalogue that was always hanging around my grandfather’s workshop. I was fascinated by the small robot on the cover.