In this article we are going to see about DFRobot ESP32-S3 AI Camera Module
The DFRobot ESP32-S3-AI-Camera is a highly capable intelligent camera module built around the powerful ESP32-S3 chip, designed for advanced AI, video processing, and voice interaction applications. It features an OV3660 3MP wide-angle infrared camera for night vision, an onboard microphone and speaker for voice commands and audio output, 8MB of PSRAM for demanding AI models and image buffering, and supports Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 5.0 (BLE) connectivity. This module is ideal for edge AI applications like image recognition (YOLO, Edge Impulse, OpenCV), voice assistants (even integrating with ChatGPT), smart home devices, and advanced surveillance systems, offering a rich set of features in a compact form factor.
Device comes with following Components
The ESP32-S3 AI Camera is a cutting-edge intelligent camera module built around the high-performance ESP32-S3 chip, designed for efficient video processing, edge AI, and voice interaction. Featuring a wide-angle infrared camera, onboard microphone, and speaker, it is ideally suited for applications such as electronic peepholes, baby monitors, and license plate recognition.
AI assistants
With powerful AI processing capabilities, it integrates seamlessly into IoT ecosystems, supporting edge image recognition and online AI model interaction through Wi-Fi connectivity, making it an essential component for IoT applications, from security surveillance to AI assistants.
Key Features of ESP32-S3 AI Camera 📷
- Processor: Xtensa® Dual-core 32-bit LX7 Microprocessor, 240 MHz
- Built-in OV3660 3MP Camera.
- 16 MB Flash, 8MB PSRAM for smooth image capture
- On board Mic and Kit comes with Speaker
- USB: USB 2.0 OTG Full-Speed Interface
- SD Card Slot
- ALS: LTR-308 ambient light sensor
- 4 LED's for IR: Infrared illumination
Camera Specifications
The wide-angle infrared camera on the ESP32-S3 AI Camera, combined with infrared illumination and a light sensor, ensures excellent image clarity even in low light or complete darkness. Whether day or night, the ESP32-S3 AI Camera guarantees the stability and clarity of surveillance footage, providing reliable support for security and monitoring systems.
- Sensor Model: OV3660
- Pixel: 3 Megapixels
- Sensitivity: Visible light, 940nm infrared
- Field of View: 160°
- Focal Length: 0.95
- Aperture: 2.0
- Distortion: <8%
This is all about this awesome hardware. You can know more about it on its Wiki Page. They have explained thorough details, Features, Specifications, Pinouts, Getting started Guides and so on.
DFRobot ESP32-S3-AI-Camera vs AI Thinker ESP32-CAMThere are several ESP32 based Camera boards are available. You might have used AI Thinker ESP32-CAM module.
Then what are differences between DFRobot ESP32-S3-AI-Camera and AI Thinker ESP32-CAM. Lets briefly compare these two modules -
We can see, There are several differences between these modules
The DFRobot ESP32-S3-AI-CAM offers several key advantages over the AI Thinker ESP32-CAM, making it better suited for advanced and user-friendly applications.
- It features a more powerful ESP32-S3 chip with built-in vector instructions for AI acceleration,
- 8 MB of onboard PSRAM, and 16 MB flash, supporting complex edge computing tasks.
- Unlike the AI Thinker board, it includes a wide-angle OV3660 camera with IR capability for night vision
- Onboard microphone and speaker for audio interaction, and
- USB-C port for easy development without external FTDI. Plug-and-play package
- BLE 5.0
Although the DFRobot ESP32-S3-AI-CAM, while feature-rich, I found one limitation that may affect certain project types.
- It lacks standard exposed GPIO headers, which significantly restricts the ability to interface with external sensors, relays, or custom hardware—unlike the AI Thinker ESP32-CAM, which provides multiple accessible GPIO pads.
Getting started with the DFRobot ESP32-S3-AI-CAM involves a few key steps, primarily focusing on setting up your development environment and then uploading example code. The most common way to program it is using the Arduino IDE, but MicroPython and ESP-IDF are also options.
Here's a brief overview of the general process:
- Install Arduino IDE: If you don't already have it, download and install the latest version of the Arduino IDE from the official Arduino website.
- Add ESP32 Boards Manager URL: In the Arduino IDE, go to
File > Preferences
and add the ESP32 boards manager URL to the "Additional Boards Manager URLs" field. You'll typically use:https://espressif.github.io/arduino-esp32/package_esp32_index.json
- Install ESP32-S3 Board Package: Go to
Tools > Board > Boards Manager
, search for "ESP32", and install the latest version of the "esp32" package. This package includes support for the ESP32-S3.
- Select the Board: After installation, go to
Tools > Board
, navigate to the ESP32 Arduino section, and select "ESP32S3 Dev Module" (or a similar ESP32-S3 board with 8MB PSRAM, depending on the specific package version and your board's exact designation).
- Configure Board Settings: Crucially, you'll need to set a few board options under
Tools
: - USB CDC On Boot: Set this to Enabled if you want to use the USB Type-C port for serial communication (printing to the Serial Monitor).
- Partition Scheme: Select an appropriate partition scheme, often one that includes support for 8MB PSRAM (e.g., "Huge App (3MB No OTA/1MB SPIFFS)" or similar, depending on the exact firmware and example). PSRAM Configuration is critical and often requires "OPI PSRAM" mode. You can also keep it default.
- PSRAM (Pseudo Static RAM) provides significant benefits for ESP32-based applications by offering additional high-speed memory beyond the chip’s limited internal SRAM. It enables the handling of memory-intensive tasks such as high-resolution image buffering, video streaming, running machine learning models, and handling large audio or sensor data in real-time. Without PSRAM, these applications would crash or perform poorly due to memory shortages.
- In boards like the ESP32-S3-AI-Camera the 8 MB onboard PSRAM allows smooth execution of AI inference, frame buffering from cameras, and use of complex libraries like TensorFlow Lite or ESP-DSP, making it essential for advanced edge computing and multimedia tasks.
- We have selected PSRAM settings as - "OPI PSRAM"
- Connect the Board: Connect your DFRobot ESP32-S3-AI-Camera module to your computer using a USB Type-C cable. And confirm you have selected correct board - ESP32-S3 Dev Module
- Select the Port: Go to
Tools > Port
and select the COM port corresponding to your ESP32-S3-AI-Camera
- We have explained all this procedure in Demo Video
There are some specific pin definitions and Configurations for this DFRobot ESP32-S3-AI-CAM board, Therefor we need to modify the CameraWebServer code in ESP32 core.
- Load Example Code: Start with simple examples to confirm everything is working. A common starting point is the
CameraWebServer
example, which allows you to stream video from the camera over Wi-Fi. - Go to
File > Examples > ESP32 > Camera > CameraWebServer
.
- Once you loaded the example of
CameraWebServer
from Arduino IDE. There is code given in following attachments section. Copy that code and replace with the defaultCameraWebServer
code. You can also Go to our repository. There You will get full Project Source code folder. - In the code, you'll need to enter your WiFi credentials
- Once entered your WiFI credentials. Then Click the "Upload" button. (Optional - if code is not getting uploading or Any upload error occurs - During upload, you might need to press the "BOOT" button on the board while connecting/resetting, as per DFRobot's instructions, to put it into flashing mode.)
- Monitor Serial Output: Open the Serial Monitor (Tools > Serial Monitor) at a baud rate of 115200 (or as specified in the example code). After the code uploads and the board resets, it should print the IP address that you can use to access the camera stream in your web browser.
- Open any web browser and go to above IP address. Please note in your case IP may be different according to your network DHCP settings. You will see your
CameraWebServer
IP address on Serial Monitor
- DFRobot provides extensive documentation and example code on their wiki page for the ESP32-S3-AI-Camera, covering basic setup, camera streaming, audio features, and more advanced AI applications (Edge Impulse, YOLOv5, ChatGPT integration). It's highly recommended to refer to their official wiki for the most up-to-date and specific instructions for your module.
We have explained all procedure in Demo Video
DemoCheck out following video, we have covered all steps and code execution.
ProjectWe have also made one project using this ESP32-S3 AI Camera Module. This project is about "AI-Powered ANPR using DFRobot's ESP32-S3 AI Cam & Gemini API". You can also watch its demo -
DocumentationI will share all the documents, codes, schematics, etc. on GitHub.
Suggestions about this Tutorial/Project design, Circuits, code modifications, Optimization, Errors/Bugs findings and queries are most welcomed. Feel free to raise you queries, suggest your opinions and point out any errors or bugs.Credits
Thank you Hackster, DFRobot, and all other peoples, websites and entities who helped me (directly/indirectly) for creating this article.
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