Smart Robot Camera Car Kit, 4WD Remote Control Car Compatible with Arduino IDE, Electronic Programming Project/STEM Education/Science Coding Kit for 12+ Teens & Adults Unique Gifts

I got an ESP32 Max V1.0 with setup problems I contacted the support team and they solved it for me

The media could not be loaded. I got this smart robot car kit from Acebott. It's their QD001 car along with the QD002 camera kit. I did the build for the base kit and left it as-is. I may do the camera kit later, but that means losing the LED indicators and the distance sensor servo mechanism.I have used several similar kits in the past. This is the first one I have used that is based on ESP32 board. I have only used arduino boards in the past.The assembly wasn't bad. There were a few issues with the instructions not matching reality. There's a puzzling step to only bolt 3 of the 4 corners of the control board to the body, which doesn't make any sense to me and leaves the board not fully secured. There was also a step in the final wiring that required you to see writing on one of the small boards, but the way it was assembled, you can't view it. So, I had to take that apart to verify. I had a couple screws that wouldn't go in all the way into the metal spacers. But, aside from those issues, it was pretty straighforward. All bags were well labeled with their contents and things were organized together. There were plenty of spares included as well in case you drop a part or two like me.One really nice thing is that they offer ACECode, a scratch-based building-block programming tool. This is great for beginners that might be turned off by arduino programming. The tool worked well sending programs to the robot. They include an array of sample programs that help you test all functions of the robot.They don't include batteries. That sounds simple to solve, that you can use some AA batteries you have lying around. But, no. You need 18650 batteries. That is mentioned way down in the listing, but is easy to miss. Luckily I have a pair of them on hand. You do need a small CR2032 battery for the remote control if you want to use that.I found my car likes to bend slightly to the left. That makes some of the course programming challenging. It also doesn't do well on hardwood floors--it skids and slips all the time. I couldn't get the line tracking to work either. I think that's because they have the sensors mounted in the back of the car instead of the front. I may take their program and rework it to see if I can solve that. The obstacle avoidance program works well.The remote control works as long as you are close and point it directly at the IR sensor. It's easy to "miss" the sensor and have it miss your button presses.I am going to be using this robot with a class of junior high kids, having them learn some programming with the ACECode, and hopefully get into arduino. What is nice about ACECode is that it shows you the compiled code, which can be helpful for learning.I did think I was having an issue with the wheels turning initially. I reached out to the team at Acebott and they were quick to respond. I found that my batteries weren't fully seated in the battery holder and my problem was quickly resolved.Overall this is a good kit. There are a few issues that I mentioned that earned it a 4 star instead of 5. It does offer a lot at a good price.

I wrote the following review before I determined that the car cannot be used without the Windows program being available to download code to the car's processor. Unfortunately, this means that Mac users cannot use the Phone based apps or the IR remote. The vendor should publish the Windows requirement in the product description.First off, some kit information for prospective buyers:1) The batteries this kit needs are (one) 2025 button cell for the remote control and (two) 18650 rechargeable lithium batteries. I bought a set of the 18650 batteries from Amazon with a charger since it is unclear if the USB-C port on the car can be used for charging.2) The tutorial and the programming software is for Windows. There is some reference to MAC software, but I have not had an opportunity to puzzle out just what that provides. The chip AceBott uses appears to share some programming tools with Arduino processors. A Wiki is available on the Acebott website which provides more information.3) The kit provides a tiny screwdriver and wrench (also some tiny cable ties and electrical tape). A couple of steps require two wrenches, but a set of needle nose pliers will do the job. I would recommend a Phillips head screwdriver with a larger handle and small bits.4) As a helpful hint, you will be putting some tiny nuts on tiny bolts. I found that wrapping sticky tape inside out on a finger tip and sticking the tiny nuts on the tape really helps the assembly process.Second, I like the kit. It comes with parts in individual, labelled bags and all of the parts have gone together easily. Extra nuts, bolts and a few other small parts are provided. The kit is also interesting for anyone interesting in a computer based STEM project and it produces a fun STEM toy. It has sufficient sensors and capabilities to keep a student entertained while providing a programming introduction. The car can be operated with the provided remote control and both Android and IOS applications are available so it can be used without programming.Now for the my reservations and some constructive criticism:1) They should put the battery requirements someplace other than the inside of the kit's battery box.2) This kit is not really suited for an 8 year old. I would suggest that 12 or 13 year olds would be the starting target audience.3) It would be helpful if numbers on the parts bags were referenced in the instructions4) Speaking of the assembly instructions, they are not included but are downloaded from the vendors website. A number of documents are shown on the website and it took a few tries to get the assembly instructions.5) The instructions are usable, but rather terse. A bit more descriptive wording would improve the experience.

Long story short, I gave this and one other kit like it to a very small class of very bright middle schoolers. They got in small groups and spent a few solid weeks exploring robotics with this. It was an excellent hands on learning experience that also fostered team building skills without having to force them into groups for it, since they all wanted to play with this.10/10, excellent way of tricking kids into learning about science with physical applications. I love it!

Doesn't come with batteries and I can't figure out where to get the specific batteries it calls for.

Bought 2 of these and both of them had bad esp32 boards. All of the sensors were good, the plastic body was well made, and the parts were well labeled.