Arduino Alvik Is this the best MicroPython robot of 2024? 26 May 2024 2 minute read By Kevin McAleer Share this article on Table of Contents What is Arduino Alvik?What can Alvik it doSensorsActuatorsConnectivityProcessorsPowerAlvik and MicroPythonGetting started with Alvik Tags: Arduino Alvik MicroPython Robotics Difficulty: beginner Category: robots micropython arduino Home Blog Arduino alvik Arduino Alvik Is this the best MicroPython robot of 2024? 26 May 2024 | 2 minute read | By Kevin McAleer | Share this article on Videos For every project I create, I often make a corresponding YouTube video. Sometimes, there might be more than one video for a single project. You can find these videos in this section. Explore more through these this dedicated videos. What is Arduino Alvik? Arduino launched a new robot aimed at beginners but certainly not limited to that audience. It’s their first robot that’s designed for MicroPytjon first. There is even a new Arduino Lab for MicroPython IDE so you can get writing code faster. It’s powered by the Arduino Nano ESP32 and has a whopping 16Mb of storage for all your programs. Alvik Costs €130, plus shipping and Tax, and is available from the Arduino store. In short, its designed for beginners, but has lots of expansion for more advanced users What can Alvik it do Here is an overview diagram of all the Alvik components: Alvik has a number sensors and actuators: Sensors 8x8 time of flight distance sensor that can measure up to 3.5 meters. The array also means it can track the direction an object is moving RGB Colour sensor 3x Line sensors 7x Touch sensors - Yes/No, Left, Right, Up, Down and Center 6 Axis Gyroscope-Accelerometer Actuators 2x RGB LEDs 6v DC motor with encoders, max speed 96 rpm & Rubber wheels Connectivity WiFi Bluetooth LE 2x Servo headers 2x Grove headers 2x Qwiic headers Processors Onboard Core processor - STM32 Arm® Cortex®-M4 32 Bit Main processor - Arduino® Nano ESP32 Power 1x 18650 (included) with USB-C charging (USB-C to USB-C cable included) On/Off switch Alvik comes with several example programs to get you started, including a line following program, an obstacle avoidance program and and a touch-move program where you can use the touch controls to move the robot around. Alvik and MicroPython Alvik is designed to be programmed in MicroPython. The Arduino Lab for MicroPython IDE is a new IDE that is designed to make it easy to write code for Alvik. The Arduino-Alvik library is a collection of MicroPython modules that make it easy to interact with the sensors and actuators on Alvik. It’s interesting to see how these are arranged and how they interact with the hardware. You can access the official API documentation here. Getting started with Alvik Getting started with the Alvik is easy. You can find a simple guide here. There is also a step by step course to help you get up and running Alvik and learning how to use each component, here. I’ve created a downloadable PDF track so you can play with the line following sensors right away. Liked this article? You might like these too. Python and Arduino In the world of robotics and DIY electronics, Arduino and Python are two powerful tools that can be combined to create amazing projects. SMARS SMARS is the Screwless, Modular, Assemble-able, Robotic System. Intermediate MicroPython Learn about Obect Oriented Programming, Polymorphism, Inheritance and more in this new MicroPython course Build a Web Server Using a Raspberry Pi Pico W and Phew! Learn how to build a web server and templating engine using a Raspberry Pi Pico W. CyberDog A quirky project, by a quirky maker, for his tiny dog Facebot Facebot is a cute desktop robot that features a small 8x8 LED Display matrix. It is powered by a Raspberry Pi Pico W, which means we can control this robot using Wifi and/or Bluetooth.
Arduino Alvik Is this the best MicroPython robot of 2024? 26 May 2024 2 minute read By Kevin McAleer Share this article on Table of Contents What is Arduino Alvik?What can Alvik it doSensorsActuatorsConnectivityProcessorsPowerAlvik and MicroPythonGetting started with Alvik Tags: Arduino Alvik MicroPython Robotics Difficulty: beginner Category: robots micropython arduino
What is Arduino Alvik? Arduino launched a new robot aimed at beginners but certainly not limited to that audience. It’s their first robot that’s designed for MicroPytjon first. There is even a new Arduino Lab for MicroPython IDE so you can get writing code faster. It’s powered by the Arduino Nano ESP32 and has a whopping 16Mb of storage for all your programs. Alvik Costs €130, plus shipping and Tax, and is available from the Arduino store. In short, its designed for beginners, but has lots of expansion for more advanced users What can Alvik it do Here is an overview diagram of all the Alvik components: Alvik has a number sensors and actuators: Sensors 8x8 time of flight distance sensor that can measure up to 3.5 meters. The array also means it can track the direction an object is moving RGB Colour sensor 3x Line sensors 7x Touch sensors - Yes/No, Left, Right, Up, Down and Center 6 Axis Gyroscope-Accelerometer Actuators 2x RGB LEDs 6v DC motor with encoders, max speed 96 rpm & Rubber wheels Connectivity WiFi Bluetooth LE 2x Servo headers 2x Grove headers 2x Qwiic headers Processors Onboard Core processor - STM32 Arm® Cortex®-M4 32 Bit Main processor - Arduino® Nano ESP32 Power 1x 18650 (included) with USB-C charging (USB-C to USB-C cable included) On/Off switch Alvik comes with several example programs to get you started, including a line following program, an obstacle avoidance program and and a touch-move program where you can use the touch controls to move the robot around. Alvik and MicroPython Alvik is designed to be programmed in MicroPython. The Arduino Lab for MicroPython IDE is a new IDE that is designed to make it easy to write code for Alvik. The Arduino-Alvik library is a collection of MicroPython modules that make it easy to interact with the sensors and actuators on Alvik. It’s interesting to see how these are arranged and how they interact with the hardware. You can access the official API documentation here. Getting started with Alvik Getting started with the Alvik is easy. You can find a simple guide here. There is also a step by step course to help you get up and running Alvik and learning how to use each component, here. I’ve created a downloadable PDF track so you can play with the line following sensors right away.