Mini Mars Rover runs on Pi Pico W

NASA's Mars Rovers are robots that have inspired budding engineers around the world. [Nikodem Bartnik] had a particular fondness for them himself and set out to build his own miniature version.

The Raspberry Pi Pico W is the brains of the operation, serving as both the microcontroller and the remote wireless link for control. The robot uses four mechanical wheels for locomotion, each with its own motor. This allows the robot to move in all directions simply by rotating the wheels in different configurations. In addition, the rover sports an articulated robotic arm controlled by servos, which allows it to pick up and drop objects. Additionally, there is an FPV camera on the top which provides a video feed so the robot can be piloted remotely. This is achieved over WiFi, thanks to a bit of custom control code written in Python.

It's a surprisingly capable robot on smooth surfaces, as the mechanical wheels allow for strafing and other moves that regular wheels simply can't. It's also fun to have a bot that can interact with its environment, thanks to its motorized appendages.