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AN OLD ROOMBA TURNED INTO A CAMERA ROBOT YOU DRIVE FROM YOUR PHONE

A used Roomba already has drive motors, wheels and a battery bay. This build puts a camera on it and lets you drive it from an iPhone.

by Sam Meech-Ward

FULL CAD BOM FIRMWARE DOCS

RoboticsAutomation

Built withESP32Raspberry Pi Pico / RP2040

difficulty
●●●○○
time
a weekend
license
license not specified
repo
repo ACTIVE60 stars

WHAT YOU’LL NEED

Videos
1
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COMPAREE VERDICT

This build turns a used Roomba into a first-person-view camera robot you drive from an iPhone. The electronics are cheap: in the video the XIAO ESP32-S3 Sense with a camera costs 14 dollars and the motor controller 3 dollars, plus a DC-DC converter, a fuse and an antenna for a bit of extra range, all fitting in the empty compartments where the Roomba's battery used to go. The ESP32 sets up its own Wi-Fi access point, streams the camera over a WebSocket and takes motor commands from the iOS app, which you drive with a game controller or on-screen controls. What will slow you down: there is no wiring diagram, the parts list lives on the creator's website rather than in the repo, and nobody says which Roomba models work. If you have flashed an ESP32 with ESP-IDF before and can trace pin assignments in code, it is a weekend project.

GOOD TO KNOW

  • —No licence file in the repository, so there is no explicit permission to reuse or redistribute the code.
  • —The parts list is on the creator's site (sammeechward.com/you-should-hack-your-roomba), not in the repository. It lists no prices.
  • —The repository has firmware for the ESP32-S3 (esp_roomba, ESP-IDF) and a Raspberry Pi Pico (pico_roomba), an iOS app and a React web client. A separate roomba_interface branch covers the last part of the video.
  • —No step-by-step build guide. The ESP32 firmware README describes features, motor channels and hardware requirements; the video shows the assembly.
  • —The repository does not say which Roomba models work.
  • —The iOS app supports a physical game controller or on-screen virtual controls.

Parts to buy

6 items

From our check of the build. Exact quantities and part numbers are in the creator’s BOM.

Can I build this?

Printnothing required
Buyused Roomba, Seeed XIAO ESP32-S3 Sense, L298N motor driver, DC-DC converter, fuse, antenna; optionally an iPhone game controller (the parts list also has a Raspberry Pi Pico 2 W)
Toolssoldering iron, wire strippers, multimeter, ESP-IDF, Xcode for the iOS app
Skillsreading firmware to work out the wiring, basic soldering, flashing ESP32 boards with ESP-IDF, building iOS apps in Xcode
Timea weekend if you have done ESP32 projects before; longer if you have to trace the wiring from scratch
Cost$: in the video the Roomba sells for around $20 used, the ESP32-S3 Sense costs $14 and the motor controller $3

Build at your own risk. Projects involve tools, electronics and sometimes mains voltage — follow the creator’s safety notes.

Videos

You Should Hack Your Roomba23:37

The full video 'You Should Hack Your Roomba' (1 Feb 2025) by Sam Meech-Ward shows the build assembly and the final demo.

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Gallery

Start here

Navigation into the creator’s own docs — we don’t rewrite the guide, we route you to the source.

  1. 1.Watch the build video and get a used Roomba (The video shows where the electronics go and how the robot drives. Sam bought his Roomba used.)
  2. 2.Get the parts list (The parts list is on the creator's website, not in the repository.)
  3. 3.Clone the repository and read the ESP32 firmware (The ESP32 firmware is in esp_roomba/. There is no schematic, so you read the pin assignments from the code.)
  4. 4.Flash the ESP32 and build the iOS app(The firmware is built with ESP-IDF. The iOS app is in ios/WSCameraESP, needs Xcode and iOS 18.1 or newer, and connects to the ESP32's Wi-Fi access point.)

Resources

Documentation, files and community threads for this build — we link straight to the original sources and never rehost the creator’s files.

KNOWN ISSUES

  • The repository has no licence file, so the code is not open source. Ask the author before redistributing it or selling kits.
  • No wiring diagram. The video shows the assembly, but you have to read the firmware to see which pins go to the motor driver.
  • The parts list is on the creator's website, not in the repository.
  • No Roomba model is named anywhere. Open yours up and check the motors before buying the electronics.
  • The iOS app needs iOS 18.1 or newer and you build it yourself in Xcode.

Which Roomba models work with this build?

Neither the repository nor the parts list names a model. In the video Sam uses a used Roomba and points out they sell on Marketplace for around $20. The ESP32 firmware README lists 12V motors.

Can I use a different microcontroller instead of the ESP32-S3 Sense?

The repository also has code for a Raspberry Pi Pico (pico_roomba), and the Pico 2 W is on the parts list. In the video Sam explains that the XIAO ESP32-S3 Sense from Seeed Studio costs $14 and comes with the same camera, which on its own costs $26 as a module.

Do I need an iPhone to use this?

The main client is the iOS app (iOS 18.1 or newer). The repository also contains a React web client, but its README is the default Vite template, so you would be figuring that one out yourself.

Can I drive it without a game controller?

Yes. The iOS app README says you can use virtual on-screen gamepad controls or a physical controller.

Community builds

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Discussion1

FROM THE COMPAREE TEAM

Sam found his Roomba used for around $20, and the camera board costs $14. What would you point the camera at first: under furniture, around the yard, or something else?

CompareeTEAM5d ago

Practical notes from our verification: the repository has no licence file, so ask Sam before reusing the code beyond your own build. The parts list is on his website, not in the repo, and there is no wiring diagram, so you read the firmware to work out the pin mapping. If you have never wired a motor driver to an ESP32 before, keep a multimeter handy. You do not need a physical game controller: the iOS app also has on-screen controls. The repo also contains Raspberry Pi Pico code with its own camera driver, but in the video Sam points out that the ESP32-S3 Sense costs $14 and already comes with the same camera.

Sam Meech-Ward

Sam Meech-Ward publishes videos and articles at sammeechward.com. He wrote the firmware for this Roomba camera robot, the iOS app and a web client, and published the video 'You Should Hack Your Roomba' on 1 February 2025. In his words, it is really about taking stuff apart and figuring out how to control it with code.

GitHub Web

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  • Information is provided without warranty and may become outdated as projects evolve. Prices are indicative bands only — always check the creator’s parts list for current costs.
  • Building and operating any project is at your own responsibility. Protective equipment, safe workshop practice and compliance with local regulations are the builder’s responsibility.
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