> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://mintlify.com/zeroclaw-labs/zeroclaw/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
# Robot Kit Overview
> Build AI-powered autonomous robots with ZeroClaw
# Robot Kit Overview
The ZeroClaw Robot Kit is a complete toolkit for building AI-powered robots. Designed for Raspberry Pi deployment with offline Ollama inference, it provides all the tools an AI agent needs to interact with the physical world.
## Features
| Tool | Description | Hardware |
| ---------- | --------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------ |
| **drive** | Omni-directional movement (forward, strafe, rotate) | Motor controller, wheels |
| **look** | Camera capture + vision model description | USB webcam or Pi Camera |
| **listen** | Speech-to-text via Whisper.cpp | USB microphone |
| **speak** | Text-to-speech via Piper TTS | Speaker + amplifier |
| **sense** | LIDAR, motion sensors, ultrasonic distance | RPLidar, PIR, HC-SR04 |
| **emote** | LED expressions and sound effects | LED matrix, buzzer |
## Architecture
```
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ ZeroClaw + Ollama │
│ (High-Level AI Brain) │
└───────────────────────┬─────────────────────────────────┘
│
┌─────────────┬┼─────────────┐
│ │ │
┌─────┼────┐ ┌──────┼────┐ ┌──────┼────┐
│ drive │ │ look │ │ speak │
│ sense │ │ listen │ │ emote │
└────┬─────┘ └────┬─────┘ └────┬─────┘
│ │ │
└────────────┼─────────────┘
│
┌───────────────────┼────────────────────┐
│ SafetyMonitor (parallel) │
│ • Pre-move obstacle check │
│ • Proximity-based speed limiting │
│ • Bump sensor response │
│ • Watchdog auto-stop │
│ • Hardware E-stop override │
└───────────────────┬────────────────────┘
│
▼
┌───────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Hardware Layer │
│ Motors, Camera, Mic, Speaker, LEDs │
└───────────────────────────────────────┘
```
## Hardware Requirements
### Minimum Setup
* **Computer**: Raspberry Pi 4 (4GB) or Pi 5
* **Camera**: USB webcam
* **Microphone**: USB microphone
* **Speaker**: Speaker with amplifier
* **Motors**: Motor controller (L298N, TB6612) + 4 DC motors + omni wheels
### Recommended Setup
* **Computer**: Raspberry Pi 5 (8GB)
* **Storage**: 64GB+ NVMe drive
* **Sensors**: RPLidar A1, PIR motion sensors, HC-SR04 ultrasonic
* **Display**: LED matrix (8x8) for expressions
* **Safety**: E-stop button, bump sensors
### Full Bill of Materials
| Component | Model | Price (approx) |
| ---------------- | ------------------------- | -------------- |
| Raspberry Pi 5 | 8GB | \$80 |
| NVMe SSD | 64GB+ | \$15-30 |
| Motor Controller | L298N or TB6612FNG | \$5-15 |
| DC Motors | 4× TT Motors | \$20-40 |
| Omni Wheels | 4× 48mm | \$10-20 |
| LIDAR | RPLidar A1 | \$100 |
| Camera | Pi Camera 3 or USB webcam | \$25-50 |
| Microphone | USB mic | \$10-30 |
| Speaker | 3W amp + speaker | \$10-20 |
| LED Matrix | 8×8 WS2812B | \$10 |
| E-Stop Button | Big red mushroom | \$5 |
| Bump Sensors | 2× Microswitches | \$3 |
| Power | Battery pack (12V, 5A) | \$30-50 |
| Chassis | Robot platform kit | \$30-80 |
**Total**: \~\$350-550 depending on choices
## Software Dependencies
All software runs **offline** on the Raspberry Pi:
* **Ollama** (local LLM inference): `llama3.2:3b`, `moondream` (vision)
* **Whisper.cpp** (speech-to-text): `ggml-base.bin` model
* **Piper TTS** (text-to-speech): `en_US-lessac-medium` voice
* **RPLidar SDK** (obstacle detection): Python or Rust driver
* **ZeroClaw** (AI agent runtime): Built from source
## Safety Philosophy
**The AI can REQUEST movement, but SafetyMonitor ALLOWS it.**
The safety system runs as an independent task and can override any AI decision:
* **Pre-movement checks**: No obstacles in path?
* **Real-time monitoring**: Slow down near walls
* **Collision response**: Reverse if bump sensor triggered
* **Watchdog**: Auto-stop if no commands for 30s
* **Hardware override**: E-stop button cuts all motors
This prevents collisions even if the LLM hallucinates or loses context.
## Use Cases
### Play Companion
```
Child: "Let's play hide and seek!"
Robot:
1. emote(expression="excited")
2. speak(text="Okay! I'll count to 20")
3. [waits 20 seconds]
4. speak(text="Ready or not, here I come!")
5. sense(action="scan")
6. drive(action="forward", distance=1)
7. look(action="find", prompt="a child hiding")
...
```
### Patrol Mode
```
User: "Patrol the living room"
Robot:
1. sense(action="scan", direction="all")
2. drive(action="forward", distance=2)
3. sense(action="motion")
4. look(action="describe")
5. [repeat]
```
### Interactive Conversation
```
User: [speaks] "Hey Buddy, what do you see?"
Robot:
1. listen(duration=5) → "Hey Buddy, what do you see?"
2. look(action="describe")
3. speak(text="I see a couch, a TV, and toys!")
4. emote(expression="happy")
```
## Personality: Buddy the Robot
The kit includes a default personality file (`SOUL.md`) that defines:
* **Playful**: Enjoys games and jokes
* **Patient**: Never frustrated
* **Safe**: Always prioritizes safety
* **Curious**: Loves exploring together
**Example behaviors**:
* Counts to 20 for hide and seek
* Stays 1 meter away unless invited closer
* Alerts adults if child seems hurt
* Remembers each child's name and preferences
See [Robot Kit Setup](/hardware/robot-kit/setup#personality) for customization.
## Quick Start
### 1. Build Robot Kit
```bash theme={null}
cd ~/zeroclaw
cargo build -p zeroclaw-robot-kit --release
```
### 2. Configure
```bash theme={null}
mkdir -p ~/.zeroclaw
cp crates/robot-kit/robot.toml ~/.zeroclaw/
cp crates/robot-kit/SOUL.md ~/.zeroclaw/workspace/
# Edit for your hardware
nano ~/.zeroclaw/robot.toml
```
### 3. Install Dependencies
See [Robot Kit Setup](/hardware/robot-kit/setup) for detailed Ollama, Whisper, and Piper installation.
### 4. Test Components
```bash theme={null}
# Test in mock mode (no hardware)
export RUST_LOG=info
./target/release/zeroclaw agent -m "Say hello and show a happy face"
# Test with real hardware (after wiring)
./target/release/zeroclaw agent -m "Move forward 1 meter"
```
## Safety Notes
**Before enabling real motors:**
1. Test in mock mode first
2. Set conservative speed limits (`max_speed = 0.3`)
3. Wire an E-stop button to GPIO 4
4. Add bump sensors to GPIO 5, 6
5. Test emergency stop works
6. Supervise robot around children
7. Enable LIDAR if available
## Integration with ZeroClaw
The robot kit is currently a **standalone crate**. It defines its own `Tool` trait compatible with ZeroClaw but doesn't require it.
**To integrate with core ZeroClaw runtime:**
1. Create adapter that maps robot-kit tools to `src/tools::Tool`
2. Register in tool factory
3. Load `robot.toml` config
4. Enable `safety` feature for SafetyMonitor
See [Robot Kit API](/hardware/robot-kit/api) for details.
## Next Steps
Complete hardware and software setup
Tool specifications and examples
Configure Raspberry Pi GPIO
Hardware platform comparison
## Examples
Full example code is in `crates/robot-kit/examples/`:
* `basic_drive.rs`: Move forward/backward/rotate
* `vision_test.rs`: Capture and describe images
* `speech_test.rs`: Listen and speak
* `patrol.rs`: Autonomous room patrol
* `hide_and_seek.rs`: Interactive game
## License
MIT — Same as ZeroClaw