A wireless, gesture-controlled robotic car built with ESP8266 (NodeMCU) microcontrollers. The system uses a glove-mounted MPU6050 accelerometer to translate hand movements into driving commands via the low-latency ESP-NOW protocol.
The car is equipped with advanced safety features, including an ultrasonic collision-avoidance system, a variable-speed proximity alarm, and a targeting laser that activates when the vehicle is parked.
- Gesture Steering: Control the car by tilting your hand (Forward, Reverse, Left, Right).
- ESP-NOW Communication: Ultra-fast, Wi-Fi-less direct communication between the glove and the car.
- Smart Collision Avoidance: An HC-SR04 ultrasonic sensor prevents the car from crashing into walls (auto-stops at <20cm).
- Variable-Speed Parking Sensor: A buzzer beeps faster as you get closer to an obstacle (active between 60cm and 20cm).
- Warning System: An LED flashes rapidly when in the "danger zone".
For the Glove (Transmitter):
- 1x ESP8266 NodeMCU
- 1x MPU6050 Accelerometer/Gyroscope Module
- Portable Power Source (Power bank or battery pack)
- A glove or wrist-strap
For the Car (Receiver):
- 1x ESP8266 NodeMCU
- 1x Robot Car Chassis Kit (with 2 or 4 DC Motors)
- 1x Motor Driver (e.g., L298N or L293D)
- 1x HC-SR04 Ultrasonic Sensor
- 1x Active Buzzer
- 1x LED (with 220Ξ© - 330Ξ© resistor)
- Battery Pack (e.g., 2-cell LiPo or 4x AA for motors/microcontroller)
| Component | Pin | NodeMCU Pin |
|---|---|---|
| MPU6050 | VCC | 3.3V |
| GND | GND | |
| SCL | D1 | |
| SDA | D2 |
| Component | Pin | NodeMCU Pin |
|---|---|---|
| Motor Driver | IN1 (Left Fwd) | D7 |
| IN2 (Left Rev) | D0 | |
| IN3 (Right Fwd) | D5 | |
| IN4 (Right Rev) | D6 | |
| HC-SR04 | VCC | VIN (Needs 5V) |
| GND | GND | |
| TRIG | D1 | |
| ECHO | D2 | |
| Buzzer | Positive (+) | D3 |
| LED | Anode (+) | D8 |
(Note: Ensure the Car NodeMCU and the Motor Driver share a common Ground connection).
You will need the Arduino IDE installed, along with the ESP8266 board definitions. You also need the following libraries:
ESP8266WiFi(Built-in)espnow(Built-in)Wire(Built-in)MPU6050(Install via Arduino Library Manager, usually by Electronic Cats or Jeff Rowberg)
ESP-NOW requires the Transmitter to know the exact MAC address of the Receiver.
- Upload a basic MAC Address finder sketch to your Car NodeMCU.
- Open the Serial Monitor and copy the MAC address.
- Open the
Transmitter-NodeMCU.inocode and update this line with your specific address:uint8_t carMAC[] = {0x78, 0x1C, 0x3C, 0x8A, 0x75, 0xC0};
- Connect the Glove NodeMCU and upload
Transmitter-NodeMCU.ino. - Connect the Car NodeMCU and upload
Receiver-NodeMCU.ino.
- Power on the Car, then power on the Glove.
- Hold your hand completely flat (horizontal). The car will remain stationary .
- Drive Forward: Tilt your hand forward.
- Reverse: Tilt your hand backward.
- Turn Left/Right: Roll your wrist to the left or right.
- Safety Override: If you drive forward into a wall, the buzzer will start beeping at 60cm. At 20cm, the car will automatically cut the forward engines, the LED will flash, and the buzzer will sound a solid tone. You must tilt your hand backward to reverse out of the danger zone.