OpenBot

3,262 stars on GitHub · MIT · Intel Labs + TU Munich

OpenBot turns your smartphone into the brain of a low-cost robot — anyone with an Android or iOS device and ~$50 budget can build a capable AI-powered robot. Source: https://github.com/isl-org/OpenBot

The robot body is a 3D-printed differential-drive chassis holding two gear motors, a speed controller, and a custom PCB — all controlled by an Arduino Nano. The smartphone docks on top, providing the camera, CPU, and network stack. Your phone's neural engine runs person-following, autonomous navigation, and custom AI policies via the companion app.

4 body variants + phone mount — regular (two-part top/bottom), block (PCB stack), glue (no-screw assembly), slim (narrow). See Print Files for the full set.

The project also supports tank, MTV off-road, and RTR RC-chassis variants.

Install Notes

OpenBot's intelligence lives in the Android/iOS app — vision, navigation, data collection, and AI inference all run on the phone. The orobot device code only bridges the Arduino Nano motor controller layer (forward/backward/turn via serial JSON). Higher-level behaviors (person following, autopilot, data recording) require the OpenBot app connected to the Arduino via USB OTG cable. The orobot integration is useful for basic motor testing and manual drive, but does not replicate the full OpenBot feature set.