Building a Follow-Me Robot

flux

That’s a good instinct: build the recommended beginner prototype first, but choose parts that leave a clear upgrade path for your camera AI and arms.
Recommended v1 plan:
  • Start with a rolling follow-me base: 2 driven wheels + caster, 3 speed modes: slow / normal / fast.
  • Use an ESP32-S3 module for the first controller because it supports camera projects, has native USB, and is beginner-friendly compared with a bare chip .
  • Use USB-C rechargeable battery power, but the exact battery size depends on motor current; we must do a full power budget before choosing regulators, fuses, charger, and connectors .
  • Make AI-upgrade room now: add expansion headers for a Raspberry Pi / Jetson / future AI board, with UART/I2C/SPI, power, camera/control signals, and mounting holes.
  • Arms are possible, but I would make them a v2 add-on: start with simple gripper/servo mounting points and an expansion connector instead of designing full lifting arms immediately.
  • Firmware can be prepared for upgrades: once the schematic pin map is defined, I can create real starter firmware with named GPIOs, motor speed modes, sensor polling, and placeholders for your later AI control path .
Best first build: mobile base + camera mount + obstacle sensors + 3 speeds + USB-C rechargeable battery + AI/arm expansion ports. Then after it drives reliably, add the camera-following AI and arm module. Want me to draft the full v1 robot architecture/spec next?
b3dn

b3dn

Please.

flux

I’ll turn this into a beginner-friendly v1 robot spec and save it as a project file so we have a clear starting point. I’ll keep the current 555 blinker design untouched and frame this as a new robot project plan with an upgrade path for AI and arms.

flux

I created the detailed v1 architecture/spec here: Follow-Me Robot V1 Specification.
It keeps the 555 blinker untouched and defines the robot as a separate beginner-friendly project: rolling base first, three speed modes, USB-C rechargeable battery planning, ESP32-S3 control path, AI expansion, and arms as a later add-on. This follows the staged PCB workflow and records the design decisions in a project file instead of burying them in chat .
Next best step: create a new robot project and start with motor + battery selection, because those determine the power budget and every power-path part rating .
Motor battery table
Find motor drivers
Estimate power budget
Document PCB requirements
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9V 555 LED Blinker

9V 555 LED Blinker thumbnail
Hand-solderable 9 V battery-powered 555 timer circuit that blinks a red LED approximately once per second through an on/off switch.

Properties

Properties describe core aspects of the project.

Pricing & Availability

Distributor

Qty 1

Arrow

$5.50–$5.89

Digi-Key

$9.58–$10.07

HQonline

$0.33

LCSC

$5.21

Mouser

$8.87

TME

$0.82

Verical

$2.01–$2.24

Controls