What is an Escornabot?

Escornabot is an open source/hardware project that aims to bring robotics and programming to children.

The basic Escornabot can be programmed with the robot's buttons to execute sequence of movements. From this, imagination is the only one limit to the possibilities.

- Hey! That you are describing looks very much like a Bee-Bot!

- Yes, but much better for several reasons. Among them, I will highlight a few:

  1. It is made by you. And your pupils, children, young cousins... Everyone can help by participating in the process from the beginning. The pleasure of building your own escornabot converts the experience in something great, specially when children are involved in it.

  2. It is a open hardware (OSHW) and free software (FOSS) so you can adapt its characteristics to your needs: to put sensors, LEDs, change the aperture angle of rotation, the distance it moves at each step... whatever that comes to mind.

  3. It is (by price) more affordable than other comercial robots for education. To build one escornabot can cost less than 20€ if you know where buy the components (on the internet). This price is not its value because it cost working time and other indirect costs (especially the 3D printing of the pieces).

This video is the keynote project by @procastino (in Galician language, -soon- with Spanish subtitles) on Arduino Day 2015 organized by Makers Lugo.

Arduino Day 2015 - "Escornabot: robótica educativa aberta" (Tucho Méndez)

Philosophy

It is an open hardware (OSHW) and free software (FOSS) project, so development is opened to the community and anybody (including yourself) who can contribute to its evolution. If you wish to give some love to this project, in the shape of new features, redesigns, documentation or whatever, we'll be happy to read your ideas and suggestions.

Frecuently asked questions

  • Whence comes the name of Escornabot? It is a happy composition of escornaboi and robot (escorna + bot). Escornaboi is the word in Galician language for the lucanus cervus (the biggest beetle in the well-known universe). By the way, we believe the Escornabot is the definitive Beebot's annihilator.

  • When and where did the project start? It was born at Bricolabs Hacklab on a funny date of July 2014. Further information here.