The ESP32-based MoonBot Kit was one of the 2018 CES Asia Innovation Honorees due to its cutting-edge AI technology and pioneering design. The purpose of creating the MoonBot Kit was to teach its users about the Autonomous Artificial Intelligence in robotics, regardless of users’ knowledge of -and previous experience in- this field. The components included in the MoonBot Kit will help users quickly build at least three types of toy robots, each of which will be equipped with a cutting-edge computer vision sensor:

• the MoonRover, which is an autonomously driving vehicle;
• the MoonMech, which is a flexible robotic arm that can play basketball;
• and the MoonBot, which is a cute robot that can display various emotions.

These three well-tested base robots cover many popular AI application scenarios for learning and practicing. However, they can be fully customized to users’ specific design needs. You can see a demo video of the MoonBot Kit here.

At the heart of the MoonBot Kit is Espressif's ESP32-WROOM-32 module. It contains the ESP32 SoC with a 240 MHz dual core that enables a combination of Bluetooth/BLE and Wi-Fi connectivity, while also containing flash memory, high-precision discrete components, and a PCB antenna which provides outstanding RF performance in space-constrained applications.

The MU vision sensor is the AI core of the MoonBot Kit. It allows MoonBot to see objects in the environment and react to them accordingly.

MU vision sensor specifications:

• Camera: Omnivision ov7725
• Resolution: 640x480 @ 60fps
• Field of View: 90-degree diagonal
• Assistant Lights: 2 LED assistant lights
• Recognition Algorithms: Human, Ball, Color, Customized-Card Recognition (including Traffic Signs, Shapes, and Numbers)
• Can be used independently, but is also easy to communicate with Micro:bit, Arduino, Raspberry Pi, etc.

In addition to the vision sensor, a voice command recognition module for MoonBot is also planned and will be released in the second quarter of 2019.

The MoonBot Kit has been created by MORPX, a company that originated from the Silicon Valley in the USA, but is currently headquartered in Hangzhou, China. With image recognition technology as its core competence, MORPX has focused on the development of embedded image-recognition engines for many years.