Overview
The Maker’s Pet robot is an affordable, hackable, and educational ROS2-powered ESP32/Arduino robot with Light Detection and Ranging (lidar) based SLAM and autonomous navigation capabilities—suitable for beginning and advanced DIY makers and robotics enthusiasts.
Building and operating the Maker’s Pet robot is a hands-on crash course in modern robotics, offering practical experience from simple physical fabrication and electronics to advanced robotics software. You’ll begin by partially assembling the 3D-printed chassis, integrating motors, sensors, a microcontroller, and a lidar unit. This gives you an overview of the mechanical and electrical systems of your robot—including wiring and power management—with no soldering required.
On the software side, the project centers on the Robot Operating System 2 (ROS 2), an industry-standard middleware widely used in research and industry. You’ll work with ROS nodes, topics, services, and launch files while observing real-time robot data in RViz, ROS’s powerful visualization tool. You’ll see robot state, mapping scans, and live lidar data as the robot explores its surroundings.
A highlight of the workshop is learning to work with Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (SLAM) and the navigation stack using data from the onboard lidar. You’ll see how robots build maps, plan collision-free paths, and adapt to changing environments. Maker’s Pet makes these advanced topics approachable and hands-on.
You’ll also receive a brief introduction to the Gazebo simulation environment—useful for testing a robot’s behavior before deploying it to real hardware.
Based on feedback from the trial workshop, and to streamline the experience for participants, all required software will be preinstalled on make717-owned computers. Windows 10 machines are pre configured and tested, allowing attendees to begin working immediately with no installation delays. Additionally, each robot’s ESP32 will come pre-flashed with the required firmware, eliminating one of the common setup pain points and allowing more time for hands-on learning and experimentation.
All robots used during the workshop will be make717-owned and partially pre-assembled. This approach ensures consistent hardware, avoids issues caused by attendees’ personal computer configurations, and allows participants to focus on meaningful activities such as driving the robot, viewing real-time sensor data, and understanding ROS 2 operation.
The workshop format has been simplified into two sessions, each session lasting three hours in the evening or on a weekend. This structure keeps the experience focused, manageable, and accessible while still covering all core robotics topics.
Attendees who wish to continue robotics development at home may optionally purchase their own robot kit directly from the seller. For those considering this option, assistance will be available to install and test (using a make717 robot) all software on their personal computer before they commit to buying. If you buy your own kit, possible future enhancements include milling an aluminum base plate on the Tormach, upgrading to Li-ion batteries, migrating to a full Linux-based environment, and incorporating additional ROS-based software.
Workshops will be limited to three attendees (a parent and child on a single robot count as one attendee). The first workshop is on the date indicated and the second workshop will have some scheduling flexibility the following week on a date acceptable to all attendees.
A short video of the robot in action can be found here.
Additional Technical Details
Maker’s Pet is a DIY educational robot built around Arduino, ESP32, and ROS 2. All parts, software, firmware, and CAD files are open source under the Apache-2.0 license.
Hardware
- 120 mm circular chassis
- Dual N20 brushed DC motors
- BDC-30P driver board with ESP32 DevKit v1
- 360° lidar for mapping & obstacle detection
- Extensible platform for sensors and advanced software development
- Six AA batteries, with optional 18650 Li-ion upgrade
Software & Autonomous Features
- Full open-source stack: firmware, ROS 2 packages, PCB schematics, and 3D models
- Docker-based PC deployment with ROS2/Kaia.ai
- SLAM mapping, live sensor feeds, and autonomous navigation
Who Is It For?
- Makers, students, and hobbyists of all experience levels
- Suitable for adults and youth 12+
