An open-source ESP32-powered battle robot project
Hackable. Modular. Fun to build.
- 🧠 ESP32-based brain – Fast, Wi-Fi enabled, ready for WebSocket & HTTP control.
- 🎛 Web Dashboard – Control and monitor your Palooka from any device.
- 🛠 Fully Open Source – Hardware diagrams + firmware all in one repo.
- 🔌 Plug & Play Setup – Minimal dependencies, fast deployment scripts.
- 🔄 OTA Updates – Keep your robot up-to-date without plugging in.
🚧 Coming Soon: A slick GIF/video of Palooka in action will go here!
(Imagine a little robot doing donuts right now...)
git clone https://github.com/Ryan-Millard/Palooka.git
cd Palooka- PlatformIO
- Node.js (for Vite)
- Vite
- Python 3.8+
pio run -t deploy- Open your WiFi settings and connect to the access point with
Palooka_as its prefix. The other characters will differ from the example below as it will be your device's MAC address, which is unique.
- Open your browser and search
192.168.4.1.
- You should now have the dashboard open and it should look like the screenshot below:
Check out the hardware folder for this section.
Full documentation is coming soon – but key files are already annotated, and the Issues tab is open for questions.
Contributions are welcome!
Please read our Code of Conduct and check out the CONTRIBUTING.md (coming soon) before submitting PRs.
This project is licensed under GPL v3 – see the LICENSE file for details.
- Magtouch Electronics🔌 – Board design, funding, and hardware support
- Marc d'Hotman de Villiers – Hardware design input and software brainstorming
- Ryan Millard – Software development and firmware
- ESP32 + PlatformIO👽 community
- Everyone testing early builds and sharing feedback
- Joan 🦔 & Bruce 🐕, for moral support 🖤
"Palooka is not just a robot — it's your new favorite science project."
— Ryan Millard