.png)
Sign in to your XDA account
Summary
- A user transformed a hoverboard into a mini lawnmower controlled by ESP32, intending to add automation.
- Though modest, this unique ESP32 project is a fun way to learn robotics and embedded systems.
- Beginners interested in ESP32 should start with simple projects before attempting complex builds like a lawnmower.
I always love it when someone builds a teeny-tiny version of a common device or machine. There's just something so cute about it, almost as if it were invented by some mad scientist trying to avoid doing the housework. Even if you have zero intent of actually making the device yourself, it's still a great way to get inspiration for your own Raspberry Pi and ESP32 projects.
If you're part of the latter camp, then boy do I have the project for you. Someone created their own remote-controlled lawnmower using an ESP32, and while they didn't give the exact specifications on how they made it, it's still an excellent example of what you can do with the microcontroller.
Related
This ESP32-powered lawn mower is perfect for those hot summer days
In a post on the ESP32 subreddit, user Affectionate-Cake-32 showed us all what they've been up to. They've turned a hoverboard (the self-balancing kind, not the Back to the Future kind) into a miniature lawnmower using an ESP32 to keep everything running. In a comment, they state that you can drive it around using an app, but they plan to make it more autonomous in the future:
So I recently decided to design this esp32 based 'robotic' lawnmower 😂. Just as a platform to learn more since I'm a beginner in embedded systems and robotics. It's based on a hoverboard. I'm using the hoverboard motors and driver boards. I have a raspberry pi 5 laying around and I intend to add it and a webcam to make it able to avoid or track objects. I didn't just design it as a lawnmower tho, I want it to be a robotic platform that I can use to learn more about robotics.
From the video above, it looks like the project was a pretty big success. While it likely won't dethrone a full-sized lawnmower any time soon, I can imagine driving it around the front garden while I'm sitting inside and avoiding the summer heat. Maybe my lawn maintenance would get a lot better, too.
If you're interested in making something with an ESP32, but you feel that starting off by making a lawnmower is a little too over-ambitious for your skill level, there are plenty of other projects you can make instead. It's always best to start off with an easy project (and one that doesn't put you in charge of spinning blades) when getting used to new hardware, so don't go for something big for your first-ever project. Check out our beginner's guide to programming an ESP32 microcontroller for more information, and if you have a spare SBC sitting around, try these amazing projects you can build with a Raspberry Pi and an ESP32.
English (US) ·