Smart Robot Tank Car Kit with ESP32 for Arduino Robotics for Kids Ages 8-12 12-16 STEM Science Kits Coding Gifts for 8-16 Year Old Boys Girls Teens Cool Engineering Building Toys Unique Gifts

My son is just starting to get into building and is obsessed with Mark Rober at the moment so this was super fun to mess around with and build something together with him! It is a great learning experience for sure and pretty tricky at times but nothing we couldn't figure out.

This kit is great. When I say great, it is great. BUT, don't get this for someone as their first kit. I've been working with Arduino and PICS for well over a decade, am an experienced programmer and I still ran into a few things that took me some time to figure out.Things to keep in mind: You can get started with it and start learning how things work but when you want to test it, you need batteries for both the remote and the robot. I'm a little disappointed they didn't include them with the kit (add them to the kit and charge a little more to cover it) but it's frustrating to get started and then have to wait for delivery. Not a huge deal but just keep that in mind, you'll probably want to order them at the same time you order the kit.Additionally, I had to flash the rom and reload 3 different times. There's enough info on the internet to do it (and it's easy enough once you know what you need to do) but it's one more thing a novice would struggle on.The only reason I gave it four stars was the instructions - they are wrong, in several areas (and that's just what I found, there are probably others that are missing or incorrect I just didn't go through them item by item). Missing info is one thing, but when it tells you something that is incorrect, especially when you're new, you don't have intuition to try something different, you just keep pushing harder trying to get it to work. I suspect that when the instructions were made, some of the parts were different and they changed them and just never updated the site.Other than these issues, it's all fun and games. The board is solid, if you bought the individual components separately you'd spend much more than the package price and things would need to be drilled or taped or soldered to fit correctly, all of which would be a headache.I'll update this review with a video of it navigating soon, seeing the final product really tells the tale better than this review could. It's a very slick kit. If you are a maker or your child is an aspiring maker who's looking for a challenge that they can do a lot with, this kit definitely is as good of one as I have come across.

First, be aware that you'll need to buy a CR2025 battery for the little remote and some rechargeable 18650 batteries for the robot. Then you have to go to the company's website to download the instructions and software and the programming instructions do not match up to what is actually needed. For example, there is a smart car extension pack of commands with a command to make the car go forward, but that doesn't work. Instead you have to use a DC motor control block from the robot commands. Also, the programming can get corrupted and then you need to go figure out how to flash the ESP32 chip and reload the firmware. It looks like you can program it in C or Python, which will be much faster once I have the library of commands. The drag-and-drop block-based programming is good for young kids, but you'll quickly want to move to a language-based method. However, you and your kid will learn a lot in the process of putting this together and programming it. You'll just need a lot of patience in the process.

This ESP32 Smart Car kit is a fantastic way to learn about robotics and programming. The kit comes with everything you need to build a smart car, including the ESP32 development board, motors, wheels, sensors, and a chassis. The included instructions are clear and easy to follow, and the Arduino IDE compatibility makes programming the car straightforward. The multi-way cruise, obstacle avoidance, and IR app control features provide hours of fun and experimentation. A great educational tool for kids, teens, and adults alike.

fun for adults and kids, manual is online only which is a bummer

I got this for my young son. He found it to be fairly challenging. Of course, he's never built and programmed a robot like this. But if you (or your child) are really into building robots from a kit, you'll like this one. It'll challenge you, I think.

Microcontrollers and single-board-computers have had a huge effect on the accessibility of designing electronic devices at home. The problem is that there are so many things necessary in order to learn and build the things you want to build. Resistors, motors, power converters, etc. Each of those things are separate purchases that are usually in bulk.The ACEBOTT ESP32 Smart Car kit is a great tool for learning microcontroller programming using the awesome ESP32. This kit contains all of the components necessary to build a remote-controlled car. In this guided manner, my son can build and learn each part of the electronics and slowing grow his understanding of microcontrollers. He has been learning programming and programming concepts. Now he can actually use that programming to control a physical device.This is pretty great. I might even try to find one of these kits for myself!

Great challenge for young robot builders.What a great start for young Robot makers. This requires both tactile and intellectual skills.The instructions are not the best. You will likely need to re-flash the ROM a few times before you get everything working just right.No end to the amount of creativity between building and coding on this one.Super start for a young mind.