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Welcome to the Robutek project page¤

  1. Introduction
  2. Assembly guide
  3. Hardware reference
  4. Programming lessons

Introduction¤

This documentation is for Robutek V2.

Looking for V1? You can find it here.

Robutek is a robotics platform intended for teaching programming and robotics, while also serving as an extensible platform for building your own robots with minimal entry requirements.

Out of the box, Robutek can:

  • drive,
  • draw with a pen,
  • follow a line,
  • move through a maze,
  • connect additional sensors

You can also join our Discord server, where we are happy to help with Robutek-related questions.

Capabilities¤

Motion and sensing¤

  • Differential drive
  • Wheel encoders for precise motion
  • IR sensors for line following

Color and light¤

  • RGB sensor in the chassis for floor color detection
  • RGB lighting on the robot

Drawing¤

  • Pen holder for drawing on paper
  • Servo on the expansion deck for lifting the pen

Expansion deck¤

  • Addressable RGB LED strip
  • Laser distance sensor (VL53L0X)
  • Additional RGB sensor

Getting started¤

  1. Assemble the hardware using the assembly guide.
  2. Prepare the Jaculus environment by following the setup lesson.
  3. Upload a base project using the reference Robutek library as a starting point.
  4. Try the sensors and motion by reading encoders, line sensors, and the RGB sensor.
  5. Try drawing by inserting the pen and using the servo to lift and lower it.

Library quick start

The robutekLibrary folder serves as a reference project for other projects in the documentation.

Documentation¤

Architecture overview¤

  • Controller: ESP32-S3
  • Drive: differential drive with 2 motors and wheel encoders
  • Sensors: IR line sensors, bottom RGB sensor, VL53L0X distance sensor, additional RGB sensor on the deck
  • Lighting: addressable RGB LED strip and RGB chassis lighting
  • Drawing: servo-controlled pen mechanism
  • Programming: Jaculus (see the official site)

Hardware reference¤

If you are looking for hardware information without depending on any specific programming language, use the new Hardware section. It contains:

  • pinout and connector overview,
  • built-in sensor descriptions,
  • motor, servo, and LED documentation,
  • overview of external modules on I2C and other interfaces.

Programming lessons¤

The programming lessons were created for Robot Camp 2025 as guided teaching material. They were intended for work with an instructor and are not ideal as standalone study material. You can find them in the Programming lessons section.

Safety and recommendations¤

  • Before drawing, check that the pen is properly secured and the work surface is suitable.
  • When working with power and motors, pay attention to correct polarity and solid mechanical mounting.
  • When using the VL53L0X distance sensor, avoid staring into the emitter from very close range.

Version history¤

Year Version Description
2024 v1 First full Robutek version
2025 v2 Board fixes, RGB sensor, improved motor precision

What's new in V2¤

  • Integrated RGB sensor for floor color detection.
  • RGB lighting for appearance and visual signaling.
  • Simpler assembly thanks to integrated encoders.