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Cytron Maker Pi RP2040 Collision Avoidance Robot

We have been working on designing a run robot that can be used to teach computational thinking since 2014. We have gone through many generations, and now we think we have a fantastic design that is powerful, flexible, extendible and inexpensive. We love this robot because:

  1. The cost of parts is under $20.00 US
  2. It is programmed with Python
  3. It has plenty of power - with 264K RAM it has the ability to run complex programs
  4. The design is flexible and it is easy to add displays and other sensors

Base Cytron Maker Pi RP2040 Robot Kit

Maker Pi RP2040 Top View This version uses the time-of-flight sensor.

The robot can be built ia a few hours using a screwdriver and soldering four wires onto the motors.

Sample Parts List

Cytron Ping Kit Parts

  1. Cytron Maker Pi RP2040 board (includes Grove connectors, screwdriver and feet) Cytron DigiKey Amazon Adafruit YouTube Video
  2. 2 Wheel Drive Smart Car Kit: Chassis Main board (acrylic), 2x DC Motors with wires soldered, 2x wheels, 4x AA Battery Case: Cytron Amazon eBay
  3. Distance Sensor (Time-of-flight or Ultrasonic ping): Cytron ebay Amazon
  4. Ping sensor mount
  5. 2x M3 6 mm screws and nuts
  6. 4x M3 10 mm screes and nuts
  7. Micro USB cable
  8. 4x AA batteries

Demo with OLED Display

  1. Cytron Maker Pi RP2040 robotics board ($10)
  2. SmartCar kit ($9)
  3. Time-of-flight sensor (4)
  4. Optional OLED SPI 2.24" SSD1606 display ($18)