Building a Follow-Me Robot
0:34
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?
Please.
0:13
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.
1:14
Created 3 tasks.
1/3 Check existing project files to avoid duplicate robot spec
2/3 Create or update a v1 follow-me robot architecture/spec project file
3/3 Add project-level note/properties only if appropriate for this project
3/3 tasks completed.
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
Finished working
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Follow-Me Robot V1 Specification
Purpose
Design a beginner-friendly rolling robot platform about 2 ft tall that can later grow into a camera-based AI companion robot with arms. V1 should be buildable and debuggable before adding complex AI or manipulation.
This spec intentionally does not replace the current 9 V 555 LED blinker design. It is a planning file for a separate robot project.
User Requirements Captured
- Robot follows the user on wheels.
- Approximate height: 2 ft.
- Works indoors and outdoors.
- Uses a camera eventually.
- Has three selectable speed modes: slow, regular, fast.
- Rechargeable USB-C battery system.
- Desired charge time target: about 8 hours.
- Supports adding custom AI later.
- Long-term goal: arms that can pick things up.
- Beginner-friendly first build.
Recommended Development Strategy
Build in stages:
- V1 mobile base: make the robot drive safely and reliably.
- V1.5 camera follow: add camera-based user detection after the base works.
- V2 AI compute: add a stronger AI computer if ESP32-S3 is not enough.
- V3 arms: add arm/gripper module only after the base, battery, and safety systems are proven.
Reason: motors, batteries, camera AI, outdoor operation, and arms are each separate hard problems. Combining all at once makes debugging difficult and unsafe for a first robotics project.
V1 System Architecture
Diagram
V1 Hardware Blocks
Mechanical Base
- Two driven wheels using geared DC motors with encoders.
- One caster wheel for balance.
- Wide base for stability; target center of gravity low.
- 2 ft body can be lightweight plastic, acrylic, aluminum extrusion, or 3D-printed frame.
- Camera mount at upper front, but electronics and battery should stay low.
Controller
Recommended v1 controller: ESP32-S3 module.
Why:
- Beginner-friendly compared with a bare MCU.
- Has WiFi/BLE capability.
- Has native USB support on many variants.
- Has enough GPIO for motors, encoders, sensors, buttons, and expansion.
- Has a camera interface path for later camera experiments.
Important design note:
- Use a module, not a bare ESP32 chip, to avoid RF antenna and matching-network design.
- Leave room for an AI expansion board because serious camera AI may exceed the ESP32-S3 capability.
Motion System
- Differential drive: left wheel and right wheel controlled independently.
- Encoders required for stable speed control.
- Motor driver must be sized by motor stall current, not just running current.
- Add current limit / fuse protection in the motor power path.
- Speed modes should be firmware-defined PWM limits:
- Slow: safest indoor test speed.
- Regular: walking-follow speed.
- Fast: outdoor/open-area speed with safety limits.
Exact speed values should be chosen after motor/wheel selection. Initial firmware can expose three constants so they are easy to tune.
Tracking and Camera Path
For the first prototype, do not start with full AI following. Recommended progression:
- Manual drive test from phone or laptop.
- Obstacle avoidance test.
- Simple follow behavior using a beacon or assisted target source.
- Camera detection.
- Custom AI integration.
Camera options:
- ESP32-S3 camera module/header for simple local vision tests.
- Future Raspberry Pi / Jetson / similar AI board for heavier AI.
Indoor and Outdoor Use
Outdoor use adds sunlight, uneven ground, and water/dust exposure.
V1 assumptions:
- Dry outdoor use only.
- No rain or puddle operation.
- Use larger wheels than a desk robot.
- Add obstacle sensors at the front.
- Add bumper or emergency-stop input.
Battery and USB-C Charging
The 8 hour charge target is possible, but the battery size and charge current must be selected together.
Rule of thumb:
- Charge time in hours is roughly battery capacity divided by charge current, plus overhead.
- Example: about 8 hours implies a charger current around 0.125C before overhead.
- Final charger choice must follow the battery cell manufacturer limits.
Power design must be budget-first:
- Motors dominate current.
- Stall current determines protection and driver sizing.
- Logic regulators are sized separately from motor power.
- USB-C without Power Delivery is not automatically unlimited; the design must follow the advertised current capability.
Recommended v1 battery approach:
- Use an off-the-shelf protected rechargeable battery pack or robotics battery pack first.
- Use a known USB-C charger/BMS module for prototype bring-up.
- Convert to a custom charger PCB only after motor current and runtime are measured.
AI Expansion
Make AI upgrade possible now by adding expansion connectors:
- 5V power output for future AI board, current-rated later by power budget.
- 3.3V logic UART.
- I2C bus.
- SPI bus if needed.
- GPIO lines for enable, interrupt, and fault.
- Shared ground.
- Mechanical mounting holes near the connector.
Recommended division later:
- ESP32-S3 handles real-time motor control and safety.
- AI board handles camera processing and sends simple commands like forward, stop, turn left, turn right, follow target.
Arm Expansion
Arms are possible, but should not be part of the first electronics build unless the base is already stable.
V1 should include:
- Mounting points on the frame.
- Power and control expansion header for servos or a future arm controller.
- Emergency stop behavior that disables motors and arms.
V2/V3 arm design decisions needed later:
- How much weight should it lift?
- How far from the body should it reach?
- One gripper or two arms?
- Servo-based beginner arm or more powerful motorized arm?
Safety Requirements
- Main power switch.
- Emergency stop button or easily reachable kill switch.
- Motor driver fault signal to MCU if available.
- Battery protection: over-current, over-discharge, and charge safety.
- Fuse or resettable protection in motor power path.
- Conservative speed limits for first tests.
- Firmware watchdog and failsafe stop if command signal is lost.
- Arms disabled by default until explicitly enabled.
Candidate Functional Blocks for Schematic
When this becomes a new Flux schematic, build these blocks in order:
- USB-C input and charge/protection block.
- Battery connector and power switch.
- Motor power rail and motor driver.
- 5V and 3.3V regulation.
- ESP32-S3 module with boot/reset circuitry and decoupling.
- Encoder inputs and motor outputs.
- Obstacle sensors.
- Camera connector or camera module.
- User interface: speed button/switch, status LEDs, emergency stop.
- AI/arm expansion connectors.
Open Engineering Decisions
These must be decided before exact schematic component selection:
- Desired runtime per charge.
- Maximum robot weight.
- Wheel diameter.
- Motor voltage and stall current.
- Whether the first battery is 1-cell Li-ion/LiPo, 2-cell Li-ion/LiPo, USB power bank, or a protected robotics pack.
- Indoor-only prototype first, or dry outdoor prototype from day one.
- Whether the v1 camera is ESP32-S3 camera module or only a future camera expansion connector.
- Whether to use off-the-shelf motor/charger modules first or design a custom PCB immediately.
Recommended V1 Scope
For the first real build, keep V1 to:
- ESP32-S3 controller.
- Two encoder gearmotors.
- Dual motor driver.
- Rechargeable battery input with safe charging/protection approach.
- Three firmware speed modes.
- Obstacle sensors.
- Camera mount and optional camera header.
- Expansion connectors for future AI board and arm controller.
- No active lifting arms yet.
Next Step
Create a new Flux project for the robot instead of modifying the 555 blinker project. Then start schematic design with the power budget and motor selection, because those choices determine the motor driver, battery, charger, regulator, fuse, and connector ratings.
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