In development

The BugBot

A palm-sized robot that walks on four vibrating legs, sees with a camera and a depth sensor, and runs Python on board. The programs students write in the lessons drive it, unchanged.

Join the waitlist For schools

In development: the waitlist is first in the queue when orders open.

What it adds

The same lesson, off the screen and on to the desk

Nothing about the course changes. The tasks, the checks and the code stay as they are. The robot simply becomes real, and so do the mistakes.

Their code, unchanged

A program written in any lesson uploads directly to the robot. Same Python, same names.

Real sensors

A camera that reads markers and colours, an 8 by 8 depth sensor, motion sensing and an optical-flow sensor reading the mat.

Real mistakes

Friction, drift and a robot that coasts. Students learn to correct for the world, which is the part a simulator cannot teach on its own.

Drag to rotate, scroll to zoom. Exported from the real design files.

First boards in production

The BugBot boards

Three 40 mm boards designed from scratch, stacked into a palm-sized brain. Vision carries an ESP32-P4 with Wi-Fi, the camera, the switch and the buttons. Motion carries the battery, USB-C charging, four motor drivers and two servo outputs. Odometry watches the mat with an optical-flow sensor and a 9-axis IMU.

Open code. Open schematics. Hackable platform. Every circuit is published, every pin is documented, and the firmware is yours to read, fork and change.

  • Open source firmwareC underneath, Python on top. You program the robot in Python, on the robot itself. The firmware is on GitHub.
  • Schematics publishedEvery sheet as KiCad and PDF, the full bill of materials, 3D models, and a circuit simulation of the whole stack you can run yourself.
  • Modular by designPlug-in connectors for motors, servos, the camera, the ToF depth sensor and the odometry board.

Specifications

What's inside

The hardware on the three BugBot boards, in one place.

ProcessorESP32-P4 (dual-core RISC-V, 400 MHz, 32 MB PSRAM) with an ESP32-C6 for Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth
On-device visionAprilTag, colour blob, edge and face detection on the robot; heavier AI on your laptop over Wi-Fi
Drive4 × vibration motors on DRV8830 drivers: omnidirectional motion in a palm-sized chassis
Outputs2 × servo outputs · RGB LED
VisionOV5647 camera on a 22-pin flex + 8×8 Time-of-Flight depth sensor (64-zone ranging)
Motion sensingPMW3360 optical-flow sensor reading the mat · Bosch BNO055 9-axis IMU
ConnectivityWi-Fi · Bluetooth · USB-C · USB dongle for the laptop
Power1S LiPo, USB-C charging with power-path, 3.2 V low-battery cut-off in firmware
Boards3 × 40 × 40 mm, 4-layer, stacked on 2 × 5 sockets
ProgrammingPython on the robot · lessons with a 3D simulator in the browser · Python library on the laptop · C firmware (ESP-IDF)
LicenceMIT: firmware, schematics, bill of materials and the circuit simulation are on GitHub. The PCB layout files stay private.

In a classroom

A set of five runs a whole class

Groups take turns on the robots while everyone else carries on in the simulator, so nobody is left waiting. The set comes with the dongle, the mat, balls and markers, and the first year of the School plan.

For the teacher

  • Push one program to every robot at once
  • Update the firmware on all of them together
  • Run competitions between real robots, on the projector
  • The dongle links a set to one laptop, so no school Wi-Fi is needed

Out of the box

  • No soldering and no 3D printer
  • Charges over USB-C, with a low-battery cut-off in the firmware
  • Both attachments included: the gripper and the kicker
  • Drives on any reasonably flat surface, or the printed mat
For schools

Open hardware

Read it, fork it, change it

The robot's firmware and its schematics are published under the MIT licence, with the bill of materials and a circuit simulation of the whole stack. Every pin is documented, so you can add a sensor of your own. The PCB layout files stay private.

BugBotLab on GitHub Read the docs

Join the waitlist

Be first to get one

The three boards are designed and we are working towards a first production run. Join the waitlist and you are first in the queue when orders open, and the first to hear if that date moves.

No spam, just launch news. You can unsubscribe anytime.

FAQ

Common questions

We are not taking orders yet. The waitlist is first in the queue when orders open, and the first to hear a date. Nothing about the course waits on the robot: the whole thing runs in the simulator today.

We have not set a price yet; the waitlist hears it first. A robot comes with its attachments, USB-C cable, ball and printed markers, and a set of five for a class adds the dongle, the mat, balls and printed markers. Schools will pay on invoice with a purchase order.

No. Every student has their own robot in the simulator. A set of five is enough for a class working in groups, and the rest of the class keeps working while a group has a turn.

A laptop with a USB port, and Chrome or Edge for the connection to the robot. The dongle links a set to one laptop, so the robots never join the school network.