OPEN AND FREE COURSE · 2026 EDITION

Robotics from Zero to Expert

From your first LED to an AI-powered robot, at your own pace.

You learn by building: ESP32, sensors and motors; then a camera and computer vision with Raspberry Pi 5, navigation with ROS 2, and finally an arm that learns from demonstrations. There’s no set study schedule: start with the learning path that solves the problem you have today.

Start with Learning Path 1 →

Your course progress

0 of 0 topics read

Your progress, questions and notes are saved only in your browser. In “My learning journey,” you can export everything to a file and import it on another computer.

Start wherever you need

There’s no required order or clock to race. Choose the statement that sounds most like you; the fundamentals are just a click away whenever you need a new building block.

“I’ve never worked with electronics.”

Learning Path 1 · Getting started

Start with 1.1 without buying anything: everything runs in the simulator.

“I already know Arduino.”

Learning Path 2 · Autonomous robots or Learning Path 3

PID, IMU and Wi-Fi; or jump ahead to the camera and vision on the Pi 5.

“I want to learn ROS.”

Learning Path 4 · ROS 2 and navigation

From your first node to a robot that maps and navigates on its own.

“I want AI and a robotic arm.”

Learning Path 5 · Modern AI

A local LLM, voice, and the SO-101 arm that learns from demonstrations.

“I’m going to teach robotics.”

Learning Path 6 · For teachers

How to organize classes, kits, assessment and safety with this course.

“I want a robot that can see.”

Learning Path 3 · Vision and AI

Raspberry Pi 5, OpenCV and YOLO26 detecting objects.

The 6 learning paths

Each path ends with something that really works. The ring shows how much you’ve read in each one.

LEARNING PATH 1 · BEGINNER

🔌 Getting started

What a robot is, essential electronics, ESP32, sensors, motors and safe power.

You build: a rover that avoids obstacles.

6 modules · ESP32 · Wokwi

LEARNING PATH 2 · INTERMEDIATE

📶 Autonomous robot

Control from your phone (Wi-Fi and BLE), IMU and encoders, PID, multitasking and telemetry.

You build: a line-following robot with PID.

6 modules · ESP32 · IMU · encoders

LEARNING PATH 3 · INTERMEDIATE

👁️ Embedded vision and AI

Raspberry Pi 5 and Linux, camera and OpenCV, YOLO26, AI on a microcontroller, and communication between the Pi and ESP32.

You build: a robot that follows an object.

6 modules · Pi 5 · camera · YOLO26

LEARNING PATH 4 · ADVANCED

🗺️ ROS 2 and navigation

ROS 2 without the fear factor, describing and simulating the robot in Gazebo, micro-ROS, LiDAR and SLAM, Nav2.

You build: a robot that maps the room and navigates.

6 modules · ROS 2 · LiDAR · Nav2

LEARNING PATH 5 · EXPERT

🦾 Modern AI and robotic arm

A language model as the brain, local voice, the SO-101 arm with LeRobot, learning from demonstrations, and simulating first.

You build: an assistant robot that listens, decides and acts.

6 modules · LeRobot · SO-101 · local voice

LEARNING PATH 6 · EDUCATORS

🎓 For teachers

How to teach this course: classes by skill level, kits for each group, project-based assessment, safety and competitions.

You build: your robotics course plan.

1 module · 8 topics

What changed in the 2026 edition

The course has been rebuilt from scratch. Robotics tutorials become outdated quickly; here are the places where the old material no longer worked.

ESP32 with API 3.x

All code uses Espressif’s esp32 3.x package, with the new PWM (ledcAttach / ledcWrite using the pin).

Raspberry Pi 5

Raspberry Pi OS 64-bit, camera access through picamera2 and AI acceleration with the AI HAT+.

YOLO26

Object detection with the current Ultralytics release, exported to NCNN to run quickly on the Pi.

ROS 2 Lyrical and Jazzy

The two current LTS releases, with the newer Gazebo, slam_toolbox and Nav2. The commands work the same on both.

LeRobot and SO-101

An open-source arm that learns from demonstrations, with policies such as ACT and SmolVLA, plus language AI running locally.

No set study schedule

Learn as needed, with saved progress, notes, and a full module for anyone who will teach the course.

A quick kit overview for each path

Buy as you go. Each path’s overview lists every part and gives a price range as of Oct/2026 (check before buying).

Path	What’s in the kit
T1 Getting started	ESP32 (DevKit or S3), breadboard, LEDs, HC-SR04, IR sensors, 2 TT motors, TB6612FNG or DRV8833 driver, NiMH or 18650 batteries. You can start with the Wokwi simulator alone.
T2 Autonomous robots	The T1 kit plus an IMU, motors with encoders and a line sensor array.
T3 Vision and AI	Raspberry Pi 5, microSD card, official USB-C power supply, Camera Module 3; AI HAT+ is optional. ESP32-S3 for AI on the microcontroller.
T4 ROS 2	A computer with Ubuntu (simulation is enough to get started); for a real robot, an affordable LiDAR such as RPLIDAR C1 or LD19.
T5 Modern AI	SO-101 arm (printed parts and Feetech servos), USB microphone and speaker, Pi 5 or a computer with a GPU for training.
T6 Teacher	Nothing extra: this module shows how to divide the kits above among groups.

Looking for the previous material? The old version of the course is still online, but it uses libraries and boards that have since changed.