Build a 3D Room-Mapping Robot with Unity 3D and $25

The younger makers among you may not remember this, but there was a time when building a robot was a very expensive endeavor. Anything more sophisticated than a glorified RC car would easily exceed any modest hobbyist budget. Luckily, the rise of inexpensive microcontrollers and sensors has made it possible to create a high-tech robot for less money than a steak dinner. This 3D room-mapping robot from Matthewh8 is a fantastic example of just how much you can do on a limited budget today.

This robot keeps control costs down by using an ESP8266 NodeMCU, and has been paired with an L298N dual H-bridge motor driver to provide movement. If you added a chassis, battery, and some wheels, that would be enough to build a remote control robot, and should only cost around $25. But, Matthewh8’s project goes many steps beyond that by integrating the versatile Unity 3D app. That gives the robot the ability to track any arbitrary object, and even to map rooms in 3D.

The Unity 3D app runs on your smartphone, and you only need to strap it onto the robot when it’s in use. Using the smartphone you likely already have will keep you from having to purchase additional sensors and cameras. You can then use the provided code to get the various parts of the robot working together. If you want to experiment with sophisticated robots, this is a very affordable way to get started.