Summary
- Small battlebots inspired by old TV shows are being created using ESP32s.
- The inventor shared their progress on the Robomate project on Reddit.
- A Robomate subreddit has been created for updates and videos of the project’s progress.
You know what I miss? Battling robot TV shows. Back when they were on the air, it felt like the future of entertainment, watching little bots take chunks out of one another until one was standing. It was like some sort of Roman gladiatorial arena, except nobody got hurt, and there were a lot more flamethrowers.
Well, those golden days are over, but that doesn’t mean we can’t make our own. Someone has shown off the progress of their own teeny-tiny battlebots, and while they have a distinct lack of circular saws and impaling spikes on them, it still kindles that old flame.
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These Robomates use the power of ESP32s to get working
In a post on the ESP32 subreddit, tinkerer Adventurous_Swan_712 took to the stage to show off their newest project. It’s called the Robomate, and the original poster has been working away on them for the past few months to get them up and running. This time, they’re showing off a miniature Robomate model, and you can see it cutely bombing around in the video below:
The inventor took to the comments in their thread to detail all the hardware they used, plus an explanation of what inspired them to make these:
Hi everyone! Ever since I saw the robot‑fight scene in Big Hero 6 (YT link), I’ve wanted to build my own small fighting bots. Today that dream is a step closer: I’ve packed everything I know into a tiny robot—and it works! 🎉
There are still a few bugs (new PCBs should fix them in a couple of weeks), but I couldn’t wait to share this first video. I’m so excited to start running matches and show you what it can do.
That’s when they drop the bombshell and reveal that they have their own Robomates subreddit, complete with progress updates and a video showing the regular-sized bots duking it out in a CTF map. I really hope something comes of all this tinkering, as I’d love to drive my own Robomate around town.
If you love these little bots but want something a little more useful around the house, check out the time someone made an ESP32-powered lawnmower they could control remotely. And if you want to check out the ESP32 microcontroller but the idea of starting out by creating a small battlebot seems like too big a first step, check out these simple projects anyone can build with an ESP32 microcontroller.