Phone-as-sensor
Use your old phone as the robot’s eyes
Modern phones already pack 1080p camera, GPS, IMU, mic and a real CPU. For DIY robots under $500 the smartest $0-cost upgrade is taping your old Pixel or iPhone to the chassis and tethering it as the sensor module.
Your phone
Camera, GPS, IMU, compute, Wi-Fi link
Robot MCU
ESP32 / RPi Pico W drives motors, listens for phone over WS / OTG / BLE
↕ Wi-Fi WebSocket · USB-OTG UART · BLE
Camera
1080p+ frame from front or rear lens, streamed via RTSP/MJPEG/WebRTC.
GPS
Sub-meter accuracy on outdoor builds. No extra GNSS module needed.
IMU
Accelerometer, gyro, magnetometer at 100 Hz over WebSocket.
Compute
Run YOLOv8-tiny ONNX on-device. Way more horsepower than an MCU.
Companion apps
- IP Webcam (Android) — Streams 1080p MJPEG/RTSP over Wi-Fi
- Sensor Server (Android) — Accelerometer + gyro + magnetometer over WebSocket
- GPS2IP (iOS) — Streams GPS NMEA over TCP/UDP
- Termux + Python — Run real Python (or YOLOv8 ONNX) on the phone itself
Build archetypes
- Wi-Fi scout roverTracked chassis + ESP32 + phone clipped on top. FPV from the phone, joystick from a browser.
- Phone FPV mini-droneIndoor brushed quad with phone strapped underneath broadcasting back to a controller.
- Garden GPS roverOutdoor lawn + GPS waypoints, phone holds GNSS + compass + camera in one.
- Patio security sentryPhone + servo gimbal that streams motion clips when something moves at night.
Wire up your phone, save $200
Pre-fill the Builder with the phone-tethered rover preset.
Generate phone-tethered BOM