3D Printed Netduino Remote Controlled Car


[Matt] lives in South Africa, where homes have smallish crawlspaces (some only 30cm high!) that he can’t quite squeeze himself into. Even if he could, he probably wouldn’t: they’re apparently vacation homes for the local rats. He did, however, want to explore these spaces to get a better idea what’s going on inside, so he built a Windows Phone-controlled car with a Netduino and 3D-printed parts.

Such a specialized application requires unique parts, so [Matt] designed and 3D-printed the wheels and frame from scratch. You’ve probably noticed that the wheels aren’t your typical cylinders. The terrain [Matt] faces is sand, so the spiked shape provides better grip. The body’s design required extra attention because it holds the motors, the Netduino, the motor driver, and the battery.

A Bluetooth module connects to the Netduino and allows [Matt] to drive the car with his Windows Phone, and an inexpensive 5V LED board provides some light for those dark corners. How does it see once inside the crawlspace? It looks like [Matt’s] getting to that part. His plan is to simply mount a second phone running Skype and watch the stream. Stick around after the break to see [Matt] use the car to both confuse and excite his dog.

[via reddit]

7 thoughts on “3D Printed Netduino Remote Controlled Car

  1. If he wanted more traction, he should have printed some tracks (a.k.a. tank treads, link-belts…). It looks like he’s using skid-steering with two fixed wheels instead of swivel caster(s), so he’d probably have a better turning radius with tracks, too.
    Also, I’m not sure I’d even send the (relatively) ruggedized phone under there, much less all that exposed circuitry impermanently held together with jumper wires and rubber bands… I hope he has enough parts to make another one to retrieve the first when a wire pops loose or sand gets in it’s motors. :P
    His dog is sure having fun with it, though :D

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