I am Frank Fu, an engineer specializing in the development of artificial intelligence and robotic education with many years of development experience. I have created a series of open-source DIY projects, such as the ES02 series of robots, which comprehensively cover the entire process from structural design, circuit wiring to programming control. My YouTube channel focuses on content like "DIY Education Nano 01" and "Open Source ESP32 DIY Robot ES02", which have attracted over 100, 000 views so far. Through these projects, I continuously validate and practice the belief that educational robots should not just be toys for display but should become real learning tools.
Recently, I launched a new educational robot module on Kickstarter called Education Nano 01 (EN01).
📎 Link: Education Nano 01 - Modular Wheel-Leg Robot for STEM by Navbot — Kickstarter
This robot features an innovative modular "wheel-leg" structure that can both roll and walk, powered by a robust ESP32 microcontroller. Designed specifically for STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) learners, whether you are a student, maker, or home educator, you can assemble it, and program the controls yourself, making robot education truly fun, practical, and sustainable.
2. Quick Overview of Education Nano 01: A Modular Robot Suitable for Teaching and InnovationEN01 is a fully-featured open-source robot platform that integrates structural design, electronic control, interaction, and extensibility. It is not only suitable for classroom teaching but also can meet the needs of personal project development or robotics competitions.
You can:
▪️ Freely assemble and disassemble various modules to understand mechanical structures and electronic connections.
▪️ Use a web page or mobile phone to remotely control the robot's movement and steering.
▪️ Program to achieve complex motion logic, even endowing the robot with "emotional" expressions.
▪️ Expand sensors or other peripherals to explore advanced functions.
▪️ Access complete educational materials and open-source resources for curriculum design or independent development.
Whether you are a beginner or a developer with an engineering background, EN01 provides you with a platform truly capable of in-depth learning and repeated practice.Here is the demonstration of the EN01 robot：
A Trusted Manufacturing Partner for Quality and Speed
Bringing open-source robots to life requires not only excellent design but also reliable, scalable, and affordable manufacturing processes. That's why I've partnered with two industry-leading service companies that share our commitment to open innovation:
Affordable for small batches — perfect for educational kits
JLCPCB – High-quality, low-cost PCBs for everyone
The EN01's control board is made from ESP32-WROOM-32 module custom PCB. To ensure consistent quality and fast lead times, we use JLCPCB for the production of prototypes and low-volume PCBs.
Why Choose JLCPCB?
4-layer gold-plated circuit board ensures stable signal integrity
PCBA service (pick-and-place + soldering) reduces assembly errors
Fast 3-5 day delivery, essential for rapid iteration
The first free assembly (some components) – a great help for crowdfunding projects
JLCPCB allows us to deliver professional-grade electronics at manufacturer-friendly prices, ensuring reliable operation of every EN01.
JLCCNC – Precision mechanical parts, ready to assemble
The wheel leg structure, motor mounts, and chassis components are made of aluminum alloy and engineering plastics, which are precision machined for durability and smooth movement.
For these mechanical parts, I rely on JLCCNC, a trusted provider of CNC machining, sheet metal, and 3D printing services.
Why JLCCNC?
High-precision CNC milling ensures tight tolerances for moving parts
Anodized aluminum, high strength and beautiful appearance
One-stop ordering: Upload CAD, get a quote instantly, and receive parts within days
Using JLCCNC allows us to maintain high structural integrity while keeping costs low – and all design files (STL, STEP) will be shared so that users can order or modify parts themselves.
Discover Easy, Affordable, and Reliable CNC machining with JLCCNC! Register to get $70 new customer coupons: https://jlccnc.com/?from=FrankFu
3.1 Hybrid "wheel-leg" design — structurally bionic, functionally practicalThe most striking design of EN01 is its hybrid structure, integrating two rolling wheels within the "leg" shaped casing. Each wheel-leg is driven by a motor, allowing movement through rolling while maintaining a biomimetic leg shape.
This design balances:
▪️ Structural fun and visual appeal, suitable for attracting students' attention
▪️ Stability and speed response in motion, facilitating programmable control
▪️ Educational explicability, useful for explaining bionic design, movement methods, and structural mechanics
It is not only a functional design but also a teaching strategy.
All core components of EN01 (wheel-legs, motors, main control board, display, battery, interface) can be disassembled and reconfigured, supporting users to expand or replace as needed.
Key features include:
▪️ Support for quick replacement or customization of hardware modules
▪️ External connection to sensors, servos, cameras, and other devices
▪️ Suitable for STEM competitions, laboratory demonstrations, or student research projects
▪️ Compatible with 3D printed structural parts, supporting custom shells or expansion modules
Modularity not only enhances the product's lifespan and diversity but also fills the learning process with exploration and creativity.
EN01 is equipped with a color LED display that shows anthropomorphic expressions synchronized with the robot's movements.
Examples of visual feedback in different states:
▪️ Static, displaying a focused gaze
▪️ Moving, showing excitement or a smile
▪️ Turning, exhibiting a thoughtful expression
This interactive linkage greatly enhances the robot's expressiveness and fun in classroom demonstrations, home companionship, and event displays, aiding in emotional connection between users and the robot.
EN01 supports various control modes:
▪️ Web Control: Access control interface via Wi-Fi network without app installation
▪️ Mobile App Control (in development): For iOS and Android, with a graphical interface
▪️ Voice Control Function (planned): Plans to support voice assistants, enhancing natural interaction capabilities
This means EN01 can widely adapt to educational settings from primary to university level, and is also suitable for home use, remote operation, and online teaching.
EN01 is a fully open platform. We will provide the following resources to all supporters and users:
▪️ Control program source code (based on ESP32)
▪️ Hardware schematics and BOM list
▪️ CAD and STL files (mechanical structure)
▪️ System wiring diagram and module description
▪️ Teaching documentation and example code
This makes EN01 both a teaching tool and a maker's opportunity, allowing users to deeply understand control logic, electronic systems, and mechanical construction, and truly participate in the entire process from design to modification.
Despite integrating a color screen, battery, motor, modular structure, and expansion interface, we keep the price of EN01 within a reasonable range:
▪️ Standard starter kit is about $209 (includes robot host, battery, portable charger)
Compared to other educational robots on the market, EN01 is more open in functionality and more affordable in pricing, suitable for educational institutions, small teams, and individual users for bulk purchase or personal use.
To give back to our supporters, we have designed clear and attractive reward options, ensuring that each tier corresponds to the value of your contribution while supporting the Kickstarter crowdfunding goal (total goal: $11, 500).
🎁 Reward Tier Explanation
▪️ $10 – Extra Battery Pack. Receive a spare 700 mAh rechargeable battery, increasing the endurance of your EN01 and extending its usage time, perfect for multi-class or long-term teaching activities.
▪️ $19 – NavBot Commemorative T-shirt. Get a NavBot T-shirt printed with the EN01 pattern. Please note your size and color preference, suitable for daily wear or as a commemorative item.
▪️ $209 (Basic Kit) – Includes 1 EN01 robot + 1 battery + 1 portable charger. A complete starter kit, ideal for beginners to get all necessary equipment for assembly, charging, and control in one go.
▪️ $219 – Kit + Dual Battery + Portable Charger. Includes the robot, portable charger, and 2 batteries, enhancing endurance and operational frequency, suitable for classrooms and small teams.
▪️ $229 – Full Limited Edition Set + T-shirt. Includes a full robot set + 2 batteries + portable charger + a NavBot T-shirt, perfect for supporters who want the complete gear and like memorabilia.
▪️ We will regularly update the production and shipping progress via email to ensure transparent communication.
📦 Shipping Arrangement and Logistics Explanation
▪️ Physical products are expected to be shipped in bulk starting in Q2 2026, prioritizing supporters in Europe and America, followed by Asia and other regions;
▪️ Battery tier ($10) will be shipped through regular logistics after crowdfunding ends;
▪️ All physical reward tiers include packaging, customs clearance, and basic shipping costs, with regional prices clearly indicated at checkout on the page;
📦 Shipping Arrangement and Logistics Explanation▪️ Physical products are expected to be shipped in bulk starting in Q2 2026, prioritizing supporters in Europe and America, followed by Asia and other regions;▪️ Battery tier ($10) will be shipped through regular logistics after crowdfunding ends;▪️ All physical reward tiers include packaging, customs clearance, and basic shipping costs, with regional prices clearly indicated at checkout on the page;5.Why Must We Create EN01?
The Education Nano 01 (EN01) wasn't created just to be "a moving robot." It is a response to the current state of educational technology and an exploration of future learning methods. It integrates a deep understanding of market pain points, practical teaching considerations, and my personal long-term belief as a researcher and educational promoter. We believe that EN01 is a truly necessary robotic tool, and the reasons can be summarized in five key aspects:
5.1 In-depth Insight into Educational Reality: Existing Robotics Products Are "Not Enough"Through continuous communication with frontline teachers, maker communities, and home educators, we've identified the following pain points in existing educational robots:
▪️ Limited functionality, only suitable for basic demonstrations, unable to support in-depth teaching
▪️ High cost, making it difficult to enter ordinary schools or homes
▪️ Closed systems, not supporting DIY expansion, teaching customization, or cross-platform development
Meanwhile, the actual educational demand is continuously rising: Teachers need reusable teaching tools, students need a truly hands-on project platform, and makers want a "detachable, modifiable, and controllable" robotic system. EN01 is a systematic response to these issues.
5.2 Balance of Structure and Interaction: Wheel-Legs Are Not a Gimmick, They Are an Educational DesignThe "wheel-leg structure" of EN01 is not just an innovative shape but an educationally oriented engineering choice. We hope it can display the "fun" of bionics while possessing the "operational efficiency" of wheeled robots.
This hybrid design brings two core advantages:
▪️ Lively appearance, easy to attract student attention and spark interest
▪️ Precise driving, sensitive control, suitable for programming experiments and structural teaching
We not only hope children can see an interesting robot but also understand how it operates and try to modify it themselves.
5.3 High Adaptability to Teaching Scenarios: From Classroom to Home, From Demonstration to DevelopmentEN01 is not designed for a single use case but is instead functionally laid out from the "places where education truly occurs". We position it as a "desktop learning platform", allowing it to deliver value in various settings:
▪️ In school classrooms, it can undertake assembly, control, programming, and other teaching tasks
▪️ In maker spaces, it is an ideal project for training and competition platforms
▪️ In home education, it is lightweight and easy to control, supporting remote learning and parent-child co-creation
Whether you are a teacher, parent, or student, EN01 can adapt to your learning environment.
5.4 Real Operability + Open Design: Building the Gateway to Continuous LearningOne of the most important features of EN01 is that its "openness" is not just a slogan but practically usable:
▪️ Firmware code is open source
▪️ Structural drawings are open source (CAD/STL)
▪️ Circuit diagrams and BOM lists are open source
▪️ Teaching documents and control examples are fully open
Through such open design, we hope:
▪️ Students can not only "use" the robot but also understand its underlying operating mechanism
▪️ Teachers can integrate it into custom courses, expanding teaching possibilities
▪️ Makers can develop it further to build their own versions
EN01 serves as a bridge—from "product user" to "system creator."
5.5 Future of Education: True Learning Is Practice-DrivenThe design philosophy of EN01 stems from a core understanding I developed over years in robotics development and teaching work: the most profound learning comes from the process of hands-on construction and debugging.
Unlike the passive approach of "watching videos and doing exercises, " EN01 encourages users to solve problems, construct understanding, and stimulate creativity through hands-on practice. This "practice-driven" learning experience not only imparts skills but also cultivates crucial future-oriented abilities: modeling, logic, collaboration, and systematic thinking.
I always believe the mission of education is not to indoctrinate but to empower. What EN01 offers is not to replace teachers or books but to provide every learner with an approachable, graspable, and continuously deepening practice gateway.
6. Project Timeline and MilestonesBelow is the detailed timeline for Education Nano 01 (EN01), designed to provide backers with clear expectations on project progress:
🚩 Completed Stage (as of 2025 Q2), this stage accounts for approximately 80% of the overall development progress:
▪️ Prototype Design and Mechanical Structure Development Completed: Design drawings, 3D models, main frame, and wheel-leg structure are finished and have entered the testing phase.
▪️ Electronic Control Board Design Finished: Control circuits based on ESP32 and PCB wiring are completed, providing stable power and input response capabilities.
▪️ Basic Driving and Expression Control Algorithms Debugged Successfully: Implemented scrolling, steering, and synchronized expression display functions.
▪️ Multiple Rounds of Prototype Testing and Adjustments: Through repeated trials, optimized structural fastening and movement stability, enhancing reliability.
⭕ Current Stage (2025 Q3–Q4):
▪️ Kickstarter Crowdfunding Launched (2025.5 – 7): Since the page went live, numerous early bird backers have already participated.
▪️ App Control Development: Currently developing iOS/Android versions and designing a graphical programming interface.
▪️ Voice Control Feature Under Construction: Integrating voice assistant support to enhance interactive gameplay and intelligence.
▪️ Production Documentation Compilation: Includes firmware source code, CAD/STL files, PCB documentation, BOM material list, and user manual.
⭕ Mass Production and Shipment Planned for 2026 Q1–Q2:
▪️ Small Batch Production: Completion of control board sample production and parts procurement to ensure project supply.
▪️ Final Testing and Assembly Process Optimization: Conduct QC testing, assembly process verification, and packaging design.
▪️ Logistics Coordination: Finalizing logistics plans for different regions and clarifying transport times.
▪️ Initial Product Shipment: Expected to commence in 2026 Q2, with priority shipping to backers in Europe and North America, followed by global coverage.
⭕ Future Outlook (Second half of 2026 and beyond):
▪️ Public Release of Open Source Materials: Including a complete GitHub repository, technical documentation, and tutorial courses.
▪️ Developer Community Building: Organizing online guides, hackathons, and collaborative projects to encourage creative development.
▪️ Subsequent Version Upgrades: After collecting feedback from supporters, release software updates and hardware improvements.
7. Funding Goals and Budget PlanningThe crowdfunding goal for Education Nano 01 (EN01) on Kickstarter is $11, 500. This budget aims to support the project through the mass production phase and lay the foundation for subsequent educational and open-source promotion. We divide the funds into six major parts, ensuring each investment is clear and effective:
1. Product Engineering and Optimization — Approximately $2, 300 (20%)
▪️ Refine mechanical structure, latch connections, and shell materials.
▪️ Optimize PCB layout and power supply scheme.
Purpose: Enhance product reliability for classroom and home use, reducing post-launch failure rates.
▪️ Add durability tests for casing, drop, and high-frequency motion.
2. Small Batch Production — Approximately $3, 450 (30%)
▪️ Small batch PCB sample production.
▪️ Procurement of modular parts: wheels, wheel-leg brackets, motors, etc.
▪️ Establish assembly process: initial efficiency and quality check.
Goal: Manufacture 200–500 prototypes to verify mass production feasibility and meet early bird supporter needs.
3. Educational Content Development — Approximately $1, 725 (15%)
▪️ Develop project teaching guides, programming examples, and extension cases.
▪️ Produce instructional videos: assembly, control, and advanced gameplay demonstrations.
▪️ Develop graphical programming interface and teaching materials.
Significance: Lower the entry barrier, enhance teaching experience, enabling easy use by teachers, parents, and students.
4. Community and Developer Support — Approximately $1, 150 (10%)
▪️ Build websites/forums for sharing tutorials and projects.
▪️ Hold online exchange activities and hackathons.
▪️ Provide technical support and problem-solving assistance.
Goal: Establish a continuously interactive user community to encourage secondary development and resource sharing.
5. Logistics Costs and Platform Fees — Approximately $1, 725 (15%)
▪️ Includes packaging, cushioning materials, customs clearance, and cross-border shipping.
▪️ Kickstarter platform commission 5% + payment processing fee about 3–5%.
Significance: Ensure supporters receive products, with transparent costs and fees.
6. Emergency Reserve Fund — Approximately $575 (5%)
▪️ Prepare for raw material price increases, supply chain delays, test failures, and other unexpected risks.
▪️ Ensure the project plan remains robust without stalling due to temporary changes.
Why set this crowdfunding goal?
▪️ Steady Future Promotion: There will be subsequent open-source, community activities, and feature expansions; the budget has leeway to support future development.
▪️ Clear and Achievable Goal: $11, 500 ensures EN01 moves into mass production rather than just staying at the prototype stage.
▪️ Reasonable Fund Allocation: Fully consider hardware, education, logistics, platform, community, and risk management, with each penny having a clear purpose.
▪️ Lower Support Threshold: The required funds are moderate, making it easier for early supporters to join and quickly inject momentum into the project.
8. Risks and Mitigation StrategiesTo reassure backers, we detail the challenges the project might face and propose clear solutions, demonstrating professional preparation and a high sense of responsibility:
8.1 Supply Chain and Component Procurement RisksChallenge:Key components such as wheel-leg structures, motors, and the ESP32 control board may experience shortages or price increases due to market fluctuations and international logistics.
Measures:
▪️ We have contacted multiple suppliers and reserved inventory for initial production needs;
▪️ Maintain alternative channels to prevent disruptions in supply;
▪️ Allocate a budget for price increases or emergency procurement situations.
8.2 Production and Assembly RisksChallenge:During the transition from prototypes to mass production, small-batch manufacturing may encounter assembly errors, failed tests, or quality inconsistencies.
Measures:
▪️ Completed prototype testing and durability verification before small-batch production;
▪️ Implement quality control processes covering assembly procedure checks and product performance inspections.
8.3 Logistics and International Shipping RisksChallenge: Cross-border customs clearance, package damage, or delays may affect final delivery times.
Measures:
▪️ Arrange logistics partners in advance, categorized by region (Europe, Americas, Asia);
▪️ Use standardized packaging with added shock-proof design;
▪️ Reserve at least 20% buffer time for shipping and provide progress updates and tracking.
8.4 Crowdfunding Platform and Fees RisksChallenge: The 3–5% payment processing fee and 5% platform commission on Kickstarter may impact net funds, alongside the risk of rule updates leading to non-compliance.
Measures:
▪️ Budget clearly includes platform and payment-related fees;
▪️ Strictly adhere to Kickstarter hardware fundraising rules, ensuring all project information is genuine, with no misleading depictions;
▪️ Establish a “Risks and Mitigations” section on the project page to transparently inform backers about potential delays.
8.5 Project Delay RisksChallenge:Debugging errors, supply interruptions, or external factors might cause delays during development or production.
Measures:
▪️ Set flexible time buffers in the project to avoid transferring all delay pressure to the final stages;
▪️ Preparation includes at least 5–10% reserve funds and a buffer period of at least two months;
▪️ Maintain frequent updates on the project page post-crowdfunding to ensure backers are fully aware of project progress.
9. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)Here are answers to common inquiries from backers to help you quickly understand project details and build confidence:
If you wish to explore programming and engineering practices through a truly open and expandable educational robot, now is the best time to support EN01.
We are running a limited-time crowdfunding campaign on Kickstarter, where early bird supporters can enjoy priority shipping and exclusive pricing.
Why support EN01?
▪️ Looking to promote more creative and practical teaching methods?
▪️ Want to take programming beyond just screens?
▪️ Want students to understand mechanical and control principles through hands-on assembly?
▪️ Want a scalable, customizable educational robot platform?
How to Support?
Visit the Kickstarter page and choose the support tier that suits you. From spare batteries to complete kits, it’s ideal for personal learning, classroom teaching, and maker practices in various scenarios.
📎 Link: Education Nano 01 - Modular Wheel-Leg Robot for STEM by Navbot — Kickstarter
Additionally, we invite you to share this project with your friends, family, educators, or maker communities.
Every share is a contribution to educational innovation. Let’s make STEM learning more hands-on, fun, and innovative together.
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