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Praveen Kumar Verma

@Alacritic_Super • 9,051 subscribers

FinTech @PaymentusCorp | Robotics | Edge AI | Microcontrollers | PCBs | Helping Makers Level Up

Shorts

25 Grams of Hardware. 4 Motors. One Flying ESP32-S3. ESP-FLY is a tiny DIY quadcopter built around the XIAO ESP32-S3. It uses an MPU6050 IMU for motion sensing, four coreless motors, and supports Wi-Fi and ESP-NOW for control. The interesting part is that the flight controller is programmable, so you can experiment with sensor fusion, attitude control, PWM motor control and wireless communication. About 25g with the battery, yet it can actually fly.

25 Grams of Hardware. 4 Motors. One Flying ESP32-S3. ESP-FLY is a tiny DIY quadcopter built around the XIAO ESP32-S3. It uses an MPU6050 IMU for motion sensing, four coreless motors, and supports Wi-Fi and ESP-NOW for control. The interesting part is that the flight controller is programmable, so you can experiment with sensor fusion, attitude control, PWM motor control and wireless communication. About 25g with the battery, yet it can actually fly.

22,970 views

What if aircraft were built like open-source software? Project Caribou is an ambitious open-source effort to build a 200 kg-class heavy-lift hexacopter that anyone can study, improve, and contribute to. The long-term goal is to accelerate the development of larger open-source aircraft and eVTOL platforms. The project targets a ~200 kg maximum takeoff weight with an ~100 kg payload, uses an 18S power architecture, and is built around an ArduPilot-based flight stack. The repository includes CAD models, PCB designs, documentation, and engineering workflows that are evolving in the open. If you are interested in drones, aerospace, robotics, or embedded systems, this is one of the most exciting open-source engineering projects to follow.

What if aircraft were built like open-source software? Project Caribou is an ambitious open-source effort to build a 200 kg-class heavy-lift hexacopter that anyone can study, improve, and contribute to. The long-term goal is to accelerate the development of larger open-source aircraft and eVTOL platforms. The project targets a ~200 kg maximum takeoff weight with an ~100 kg payload, uses an 18S power architecture, and is built around an ArduPilot-based flight stack. The repository includes CAD models, PCB designs, documentation, and engineering workflows that are evolving in the open. If you are interested in drones, aerospace, robotics, or embedded systems, this is one of the most exciting open-source engineering projects to follow.

37,152 views

What If Your Warehouse Could Spot a Dangerous Situation Before a Person Does? That's where computer vision gets really useful. Using YOLO11, cameras can detect and track forklifts, AGVs, workers, pallets and other hazards in real time. It can also use pose estimation to spot unsafe lifting or bending and tracking to monitor how people and vehicles move around each other. You can even combine it with IoT sensors and warehouse systems to react to hazards instead of simply recording them. Occlusion, blind spots, glare and poor lighting can still hurt detection accuracy. That's why good camera placement and sensor fusion matter.

What If Your Warehouse Could Spot a Dangerous Situation Before a Person Does? That's where computer vision gets really useful. Using YOLO11, cameras can detect and track forklifts, AGVs, workers, pallets and other hazards in real time. It can also use pose estimation to spot unsafe lifting or bending and tracking to monitor how people and vehicles move around each other. You can even combine it with IoT sensors and warehouse systems to react to hazards instead of simply recording them. Occlusion, blind spots, glare and poor lighting can still hurt detection accuracy. That's why good camera placement and sensor fusion matter.

12,820 views

Who says microcontrollers are only for sensors and IoT? One developer used an ESP32-S3 to create an entire collection of interactive generative art, proving that embedded systems can be a creative medium too. The projects use Adafruit Qualia ESP32-S3 with a 2.1" round TFT display and an IMU for motion-based interaction, while the artwork is first prototyped in JavaScript and then ported to C++ and deployed with the Arduino IDE. Along the way, you will learn about computer graphics, embedded displays, animation, IMU sensors, generative art, optimization, and real-time rendering on resource-constrained hardware.

Who says microcontrollers are only for sensors and IoT? One developer used an ESP32-S3 to create an entire collection of interactive generative art, proving that embedded systems can be a creative medium too. The projects use Adafruit Qualia ESP32-S3 with a 2.1" round TFT display and an IMU for motion-based interaction, while the artwork is first prototyped in JavaScript and then ported to C++ and deployed with the Arduino IDE. Along the way, you will learn about computer graphics, embedded displays, animation, IMU sensors, generative art, optimization, and real-time rendering on resource-constrained hardware.

10,503 views

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Don't let the tiny duck fool you… there's a serious robot hiding inside. Meet Microduck from Pollen Robotics. It is a compact biped robot packed with 15 motors, a camera, ToF LiDAR, IMUs, microphones, a speaker and an articulated beak. And the best part? The software is open source. You can create behaviors, train policies in simulation and bring them to the real robot. A tiny duck learning to walk, crouch, grasp objects and recover from falls? That's not just cute. That's a pretty fun robotics platform.

Don't let the tiny duck fool you… there's a serious robot hiding inside. Meet Microduck from Pollen Robotics. It is a compact biped robot packed with 15 motors, a camera, ToF LiDAR, IMUs, microphones, a speaker and an articulated beak. And the best part? The software is open source. You can create behaviors, train policies in simulation and bring them to the real robot. A tiny duck learning to walk, crouch, grasp objects and recover from falls? That's not just cute. That's a pretty fun robotics platform.

Praveen Kumar Verma

355,055 views • 13 days ago

Building a robot dog? This ESP32 board was made for it. Petoi Biboard is an ESP32-based development board designed for multi-joint robots, with up to 12 PWM servo outputs built right in. It also includes an onboard IMU for balance and motion sensing, wireless connectivity, expansion interfaces and audio features. The BiBoard V1 adds features such as a voice command module, speaker and Raspberry Pi support. What makes it especially interesting is the software ecosystem. The board works with Petoi's open-source OpenCat framework, giving developers a solid starting point for building quadruped robots instead of creating everything from scratch. An ESP32, 12 servos and open-source robotics software. That's a pretty good starting point for building your own robot dog.

Building a robot dog? This ESP32 board was made for it. Petoi Biboard is an ESP32-based development board designed for multi-joint robots, with up to 12 PWM servo outputs built right in. It also includes an onboard IMU for balance and motion sensing, wireless connectivity, expansion interfaces and audio features. The BiBoard V1 adds features such as a voice command module, speaker and Raspberry Pi support. What makes it especially interesting is the software ecosystem. The board works with Petoi's open-source OpenCat framework, giving developers a solid starting point for building quadruped robots instead of creating everything from scratch. An ESP32, 12 servos and open-source robotics software. That's a pretty good starting point for building your own robot dog.

Praveen Kumar Verma

75,013 views • 7 days ago

The coolest part of Microduck might not be the robot. It's how it learns to move. This repo shows the full reinforcement learning pipeline behind Microduck. The robot learns in simulation using MuJoCo, PPO and GPU-based training, then the trained policy is exported to ONNX and deployed on the real robot. But the real challenge is sim-to-real. The simulation models things like actuator behavior, battery voltage, command delays, friction and even gear backlash. That helps make the learned policy work when it moves from simulation to the physical robot. The repo includes policies for walking, fall recovery, sitting, standing, kicking, ground picking and even roller skating. Train in simulation. Test the behavior. Export the policy. Run it on a real robot.

The coolest part of Microduck might not be the robot. It's how it learns to move. This repo shows the full reinforcement learning pipeline behind Microduck. The robot learns in simulation using MuJoCo, PPO and GPU-based training, then the trained policy is exported to ONNX and deployed on the real robot. But the real challenge is sim-to-real. The simulation models things like actuator behavior, battery voltage, command delays, friction and even gear backlash. That helps make the learned policy work when it moves from simulation to the physical robot. The repo includes policies for walking, fall recovery, sitting, standing, kicking, ground picking and even roller skating. Train in simulation. Test the behavior. Export the policy. Run it on a real robot.

Praveen Kumar Verma

136,567 views • 13 days ago

You don't need an expensive 3D scanner. Your phone can be the camera. This is the idea behind photogrammetry. You simply take a bunch of pictures of an object from different angles. Then OpenScan processes those images and reconstructs the object as a 3D representation. No expensive 3D scanner needed.

You don't need an expensive 3D scanner. Your phone can be the camera. This is the idea behind photogrammetry. You simply take a bunch of pictures of an object from different angles. Then OpenScan processes those images and reconstructs the object as a 3D representation. No expensive 3D scanner needed.

Praveen Kumar Verma

218,309 views • 26 days ago

A desk lamp that doesn't just sit there. It has 5 motorized joints, an RGB-D camera for depth sensing, and 45 LEDs for lighting. A Raspberry Pi handles the brains, while Watti Studio lets you create and control lighting and movement scenes. And the future plans get even more interesting when we imagine the upgrades it is heading for. Hand tracking -> 3D scanning -> voice control -> MCP -> autonomous movement Imagine your lamp noticing where you are sitting and adjusting itself and the lighting around you.

A desk lamp that doesn't just sit there. It has 5 motorized joints, an RGB-D camera for depth sensing, and 45 LEDs for lighting. A Raspberry Pi handles the brains, while Watti Studio lets you create and control lighting and movement scenes. And the future plans get even more interesting when we imagine the upgrades it is heading for. Hand tracking -> 3D scanning -> voice control -> MCP -> autonomous movement Imagine your lamp noticing where you are sitting and adjusting itself and the lighting around you.

Praveen Kumar Verma

162,923 views • 26 days ago

This tiny ESP32-S3 packs an impressive amount of hardware into 24mm. The M5Stack ATOMS3R is a tiny IoT controller built around a dual-core ESP32-S3 running at up to 240MHz, with 8MB Flash and 8MB PSRAM. It also has a 128×128 color display, BMI270 6-axis IMU, BMM150 magnetometer, programmable button and IR transmitter, plus USB-C and expansion GPIO. At just 24 × 24 × 12.9mm and 6.8g, this is small enough to disappear inside the project you are building. You can program it with Arduino, ESP-IDF, PlatformIO or UiFlow2, so it is a pretty capable little platform for embedded and IoT experiments. At $17.50, it is the kind of board you can throw into a project just to see what you can build. Tiny board. Full ESP32-S3. Lots of possibilities.

This tiny ESP32-S3 packs an impressive amount of hardware into 24mm. The M5Stack ATOMS3R is a tiny IoT controller built around a dual-core ESP32-S3 running at up to 240MHz, with 8MB Flash and 8MB PSRAM. It also has a 128×128 color display, BMI270 6-axis IMU, BMM150 magnetometer, programmable button and IR transmitter, plus USB-C and expansion GPIO. At just 24 × 24 × 12.9mm and 6.8g, this is small enough to disappear inside the project you are building. You can program it with Arduino, ESP-IDF, PlatformIO or UiFlow2, so it is a pretty capable little platform for embedded and IoT experiments. At $17.50, it is the kind of board you can throw into a project just to see what you can build. Tiny board. Full ESP32-S3. Lots of possibilities.

Praveen Kumar Verma

29,445 views • 6 days ago

What If Your ESP32 Could Run Real 3D Graphics Without a GPU? 🤯 Jet is a tiny C++17 software 3D rasteriser built for constrained hardware like the ESP32 and STM32. - Runs entirely in software - Integer-only rendering - Native RGB565 - Flat, Gouraud and Phong shading - Affine and perspective-correct textures - Z-buffering and backface culling - Optional CRT, bloom and motion-blur effects - Designed for displays like ST7796 & ILI9488 On an ESP32-S3, Jet can render around 40,000 triangles/sec, with up to about 650 visible triangles at 60 FPS on a 480×320 display.

What If Your ESP32 Could Run Real 3D Graphics Without a GPU? 🤯 Jet is a tiny C++17 software 3D rasteriser built for constrained hardware like the ESP32 and STM32. - Runs entirely in software - Integer-only rendering - Native RGB565 - Flat, Gouraud and Phong shading - Affine and perspective-correct textures - Z-buffering and backface culling - Optional CRT, bloom and motion-blur effects - Designed for displays like ST7796 & ILI9488 On an ESP32-S3, Jet can render around 40,000 triangles/sec, with up to about 650 visible triangles at 60 FPS on a 480×320 display.

Praveen Kumar Verma

53,542 views • 22 days ago

Turn an ESP32-C3 into your own desktop flight radar. ✈️ Micro-radar is a fun open-source project that displays live nearby aircraft on a circular display using flight data from the OpenSky API. Topics Covered - ESP32-C3 firmware - Wi-Fi networking - REST API integration - JSON parsing - Embedded graphics - Circular LCD displays - Real-time data visualization - Arduino development - 3D-printed enclosure design Why It's Worth Building - Learn embedded networking with real-world APIs - Build a polished desktop gadget - Explore embedded UI design - Easy to customize with your own data sources - Fully open source It's a great example of how embedded systems, cloud APIs, and clean hardware design can come together to create a practical project.

Turn an ESP32-C3 into your own desktop flight radar. ✈️ Micro-radar is a fun open-source project that displays live nearby aircraft on a circular display using flight data from the OpenSky API. Topics Covered - ESP32-C3 firmware - Wi-Fi networking - REST API integration - JSON parsing - Embedded graphics - Circular LCD displays - Real-time data visualization - Arduino development - 3D-printed enclosure design Why It's Worth Building - Learn embedded networking with real-world APIs - Build a polished desktop gadget - Explore embedded UI design - Easy to customize with your own data sources - Fully open source It's a great example of how embedded systems, cloud APIs, and clean hardware design can come together to create a practical project.

Praveen Kumar Verma

67,567 views • 1 month ago

Every embedded engineer should learn how to solder. Soldering is the skill that turns a box of components into a working circuit. It might feel difficult at first, but once you learn the basics, you will be able to repair electronics, assemble PCBs, replace components & build your own hardware from scratch. As you practice, you will naturally gain experience on through-hole and SMD soldering, flux, solder wire, solder paste, desoldering, hot air rework, and proper solder joint inspection. Don't worry if your first solder joints aren't perfect. Every experienced hardware engineer started with shaky hands and too much solder. Keep practicing. It gets easier with every board you build.

Every embedded engineer should learn how to solder. Soldering is the skill that turns a box of components into a working circuit. It might feel difficult at first, but once you learn the basics, you will be able to repair electronics, assemble PCBs, replace components & build your own hardware from scratch. As you practice, you will naturally gain experience on through-hole and SMD soldering, flux, solder wire, solder paste, desoldering, hot air rework, and proper solder joint inspection. Don't worry if your first solder joints aren't perfect. Every experienced hardware engineer started with shaky hands and too much solder. Keep practicing. It gets easier with every board you build.

Praveen Kumar Verma

42,440 views • 1 month ago

Every time I think the ESP32-S3 has hit its limit, someone finds another gear. This open-source Jet renderer is now pushing the S3 even harder. Real-time screen-space reflections, water ripple distortion, lens flare and 8 ships on screen, all running on a tiny MCU. Performance dropped from around 60 FPS to 45–50 FPS, but that's still wild for an ESP32-S3. And the developer thinks there is more performance left to squeeze out. No GPU. No desktop CPU. Just an ESP32-S3 doing real-time 3D graphics.

Every time I think the ESP32-S3 has hit its limit, someone finds another gear. This open-source Jet renderer is now pushing the S3 even harder. Real-time screen-space reflections, water ripple distortion, lens flare and 8 ships on screen, all running on a tiny MCU. Performance dropped from around 60 FPS to 45–50 FPS, but that's still wild for an ESP32-S3. And the developer thinks there is more performance left to squeeze out. No GPU. No desktop CPU. Just an ESP32-S3 doing real-time 3D graphics.

Praveen Kumar Verma

15,924 views • 20 days ago

What If Your Desk Robot Could Learn Your Moves? Meet Quaddle, a tiny open-source quadruped built for tinkering. It has just 4 servos, but can run, glide sideways and spin in place. You can program it with Block coding, Python or C++. You can physically guide it through a movement, tap to record, and it can learn and replay the trick. There is also AI conversation, touch interaction, sensors and 3D-printable parts. A fun way to get hands-on with robotics, coding, AI and mechanical design.

What If Your Desk Robot Could Learn Your Moves? Meet Quaddle, a tiny open-source quadruped built for tinkering. It has just 4 servos, but can run, glide sideways and spin in place. You can program it with Block coding, Python or C++. You can physically guide it through a movement, tap to record, and it can learn and replay the trick. There is also AI conversation, touch interaction, sensors and 3D-printable parts. A fun way to get hands-on with robotics, coding, AI and mechanical design.

Praveen Kumar Verma

15,079 views • 29 days ago

Want to add offline voice AI to your ESP32? Start with ESP-Skainet. It is an open-source speech AI framework for building always-on voice assistants that run entirely on ESP32 devices. It combines WakeNet for wake-word detection, MultiNet for offline speech commands, and an Audio Front End with echo cancellation, noise suppression, and voice activity detection. ESP32-S3 is the recommended platform, with the latest models also targeting ESP32-P4.

Want to add offline voice AI to your ESP32? Start with ESP-Skainet. It is an open-source speech AI framework for building always-on voice assistants that run entirely on ESP32 devices. It combines WakeNet for wake-word detection, MultiNet for offline speech commands, and an Audio Front End with echo cancellation, noise suppression, and voice activity detection. ESP32-S3 is the recommended platform, with the latest models also targeting ESP32-P4.

Praveen Kumar Verma

15,008 views • 1 month ago

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