The term robotics is a generic term which doesn’t just mean a human like machine. It can refer to sensors, displays as well as motors. In general it is referring to micro-controller driven devices which can, of course, mean autonomous humanoid robots. There are a vast number of boards that can be used in robotics and many of them are great to get started with. The most popular by a very long way is the Arduino Uno R3 which was designed for that very purpose, it has very recently been superseded by the R4 version which makes it even better.

Arduino Boards

A key selection of their complete set of boards. To see more of their boards visit: Arduino Boards

Which board?

That all depends on where you are coming from and where you want to go with it. If you are starting from scratch then I would suggest the Arduino Uno R3 because it has been around for quite a while now and there is lots of documentation, tutorials, components and shields for this board. It is very robust and resilient, tried and tested. You can also get clones of the board as they made the board open source but I would recommend an original.

The newer version(s) is the Arduino Uno R4 Wifi and the Arduino Uno R4 Minima. The Minima is more like the version 3 without the LED matrix and the Wifi. There are some subtle differences to the board (from R3 to R4) but the essentials are the same. If you want to explore IoT as well as robotics in general then this is the board I would recommend but there is little in the way of tutorials and specific documentation. Although, watch this space as I will start creating it.

The Arduino Nano series of boards are a much smaller form factor but that doesn’t mean they are cheaper. They operate with 3.3v output whereas the Uno is 5v which is an important difference when using certain components. The Arduino Nano 33 BLE Sense is expensive but has been designed for embedded AI and is full of sensors. So you are getting a lot for your money. The Arduino Nano ESP32 board is a new addition and it is more for IoT projects and is also compatible with the Uno R4 Wifi for Bluetooth.

Other boards

The Raspberry Pi Pico and Pico W (wifi) boards are a very cheap and great little boards, similar to the Arduino Nano series of boards. Also the micro:bit is a brilliant little board that is available in schools and libraries.

Raspberry Pi Pico

The Pico range of boards can be programmed using C/C++ (Arduino IDE) and also MicroPython which is a slimmed down version of Python suitable for microcontrollers. You can get them with or without headers, so if you are starting out and need to use a breadboard then make sure you get one with the headers otherwise you are going to have to learn (and buy) how to solder very quickly which isn’t necessary at the learning phase.

Reference: Raspberry Pi Pico  Raspberry Pi Foundation

Micro:bit

Designed for children as an introduction to coding by the BBC. They were sent to schools in the UK as part of an initiative to raise the profile of coding and computer science as the British government recognised the long term benefits of learning to code as new technologies emerge.

Reference: Micro:Bit Foundation

Summary

New to Robotics:

Arduino Uno R3 or Raspberry Pi Pico

Embedded AI and Robotics:

Arduino Nano 33 BLE Sense

Introduction to the Internet of Things:

Arduino Uno R4 wifi, Raspberry Pi Pico W or Arduino Nano ESP32

Bluetooth, Embedded AI, Robotics and IoT:

Arduino Uno R4 Wifi together with the Arduino Nano ESP32

Components

Micro-controllers on their own can do very little, possibly with the exception of the Arduino Nano 33 BLE Sense, because they need and are designed to have components connected for them to, well, control. They either accept an input or they control an output. Examples of inputs are temperature and acceleration, examples of outputs are LEDs and motors. The list of components which you can buy cheaply off the shelf is staggeringly long. I will try to group them into three main heading. Seniors, displays and motors.

Sensors

Here is a list of some of them:

• Temperature
• Humidity
• Air quality (gasses and particulates)
• Light
• Colour
• Movement
• Acceleration
• Orientation
• Direction
• Ultrasonic (distance)
• GPS (location)

Displays

Here is a list of some of them:

• LEDs
• LED Matrix
• OLED
• eInk (ePaper)
• Touchscreen (also an input)
• All shapes (circular as well as rectangular)
• All sizes (thumbnail upwards)
• All colours (not just single colour)

Motors

Here is a list of some of them:

• Servos motors (180˚ and continuous)
• Gear motors (think toy cars)
• Stepper motors

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