Esghati: The Garbage Robot

While some envision robots that clean up trash, Sorush Moradisani instead made a robot out of trash. This ‘bot uses a creative assortment of e-waste, an ESP32-CAM, an Arduino Nano, and a pair of 360-degree servos that allow it to roam around under smartphone control.

The core of this robot is its ESP32-CAM module, which sets up a web server for user interface. When the user logs on to the ESP32 and navigates to its IP address in a browser, he’s presented with a control interface that includes a camera view of what’s in front of the robot. Movement commands are passed along by the ESP32 to an Arduino Nano, which directly controls the two 360 degree servos for differential (tank steering) movement.

With the robot's movement handled, that’s where things get interesting – and trashy! The body of this robot is made from a broken Wi-Fi router, while the driving wheels and rear pivot are made out of hacked-up LED bulbs. Light bulb bases are used to form a decorative torso and eyes for the robot. Scrap sheet metal links things together and acts a base for the ESP32-CAM module.

Results, as shown in the video below, are a lot of fun. The setup is an entertaining and cost-effective way to get kids of all ages involved in robotics, and given its ad hoc assembly method, one could make this robot in all kinds of creative ways!