LidarBot LidarBot is a 3D printed robot that uses a Raspberry Pi Pico and Lidar to navigate its environment. It is designed for educational purposes and can be used to teach programming and robotics. 26 April 2025 2 minute read By Kevin McAleer Share this article on Table of Contents LidarBotBill of MaterialsDesignChassisLidar holderMotor Driver HolderWiringWork in Progress Tags: robot lidar pico micropyton raspberrypi Difficulty: beginner Category: raspberrypi pico micropython robotics Code: https://www.github.com/kevinmcaleer/lidarbot Home Blog Lidarbot LidarBot LidarBot is a 3D printed robot that uses a Raspberry Pi Pico and Lidar to navigate its environment. It is designed for educational purposes and can be used to teach programming and robotics. 26 April 2025 | 2 minute read | By Kevin McAleer | Share this article on Video 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 this this dedicated video. When I created the Explora robot, and later Cubie-1 Robot, I used the RPLidar A1 Lidar sensor. These sensors cost around $100 at the time and connected to the Raspberry Pi via USB. The RPLidar A1 is a great sensor, but I wanted to create a robot that was cheaper and easier to build. LD Robot launched the low cost (I paid £25) LD06 Lidar sensor on Kickstarter in 2024. The LD06 is a 360 degree Lidar sensor that can be used to create a 2D map of the environment. The LD06 is a great sensor for the price, and I wanted to create a robot that could use it. LidarBot LidarBot is a proof of concept robot that uses the LD06 Lidar sensor to detect obstacles and navigate around them. The robot is built using the Raspberry Pi Pico and the Kitronik Motor Driver board. I based the robot’s chassis on BurgerBot, as its quick to print and easy to modify. The robot uses two DC motors to drive the wheels, and the Lidar sensor is mounted on the front of the robot. The DC motors are connected to the Kitronik Motor Driver board, which is controlled by the Raspberry Pi Pico. Bill of Materials Part Description Qty Price Total Pico Raspberry Pi Pico WH 1 £6.80 £6.80 Lidar LD06 Lidar Sensor 1 £25.00 £25.00 Motor Driver Kitronik Motor Driver 1 £10.00 £10.00 Motors DC Motors 2 £5.00 £10.00 Jumper Jumper Wires 1 £2.00 £2.00 M3 screws M3 Screws 9 £0.20 £1.80 Design Chassis Lidar holder Motor Driver Holder Wiring Work in Progress The code for LidarBot is available on GitHub. The code is written in MicroPython. this is a work in progress as the Lidar I have is broken (I made the wild assumtion that the red cable was 5V and the black cable was GND, however it turned out that this was incorrect). I have ordered a new Lidar and will update the code when it arrives. Code View Code Repository on GitHub - https://www.github.com/kevinmcaleer/lidarbot 3D Models Here are the 3D printable STL files: STL List Chassis - lidarbot_chassis.stl Lidar - lidarbot_kitronik_motor_holder.stl Lidar holder - lidarbot_lidar_holder.stl Motor Holder - lidarbot_motor_holder.stl Chassis - lidarbot_chassis.stl Download lidarbot_chassis.stl Lidar - lidarbot_kitronik_motor_holder.stl Download lidarbot_kitronik_motor_holder.stl Lidar holder - lidarbot_lidar_holder.stl Download lidarbot_lidar_holder.stl Motor Holder - lidarbot_motor_holder.stl Download lidarbot_motor_holder.stl Liked this article? You might like these too. PicoTico A few weeks ago, I decided to create my own robot that could play tic tac toe using Raspberry Pi Pico SunFounder GalaxyRVR Review A versatile and customizable robot that can be programmed to perform a wide range of tasks Chip Chip the Cute Humanoid Interactive Pal Servo Easing & Pancake-Bot Learn how to use Easing algorithms for servos using MicroPython, with Pancake-Bot Bubo-2T Bubo is a Steampunk style companion robot that can toot pictures based on a user hand gesture Hack a Big Mouth Billy Bass Learn how to hack a Big Mouth Billy Bass with a Raspberry Pi Pico W
LidarBot LidarBot is a 3D printed robot that uses a Raspberry Pi Pico and Lidar to navigate its environment. It is designed for educational purposes and can be used to teach programming and robotics. 26 April 2025 2 minute read By Kevin McAleer Share this article on Table of Contents LidarBotBill of MaterialsDesignChassisLidar holderMotor Driver HolderWiringWork in Progress Tags: robot lidar pico micropyton raspberrypi Difficulty: beginner Category: raspberrypi pico micropython robotics Code: https://www.github.com/kevinmcaleer/lidarbot
When I created the Explora robot, and later Cubie-1 Robot, I used the RPLidar A1 Lidar sensor. These sensors cost around $100 at the time and connected to the Raspberry Pi via USB. The RPLidar A1 is a great sensor, but I wanted to create a robot that was cheaper and easier to build. LD Robot launched the low cost (I paid £25) LD06 Lidar sensor on Kickstarter in 2024. The LD06 is a 360 degree Lidar sensor that can be used to create a 2D map of the environment. The LD06 is a great sensor for the price, and I wanted to create a robot that could use it. LidarBot LidarBot is a proof of concept robot that uses the LD06 Lidar sensor to detect obstacles and navigate around them. The robot is built using the Raspberry Pi Pico and the Kitronik Motor Driver board. I based the robot’s chassis on BurgerBot, as its quick to print and easy to modify. The robot uses two DC motors to drive the wheels, and the Lidar sensor is mounted on the front of the robot. The DC motors are connected to the Kitronik Motor Driver board, which is controlled by the Raspberry Pi Pico. Bill of Materials Part Description Qty Price Total Pico Raspberry Pi Pico WH 1 £6.80 £6.80 Lidar LD06 Lidar Sensor 1 £25.00 £25.00 Motor Driver Kitronik Motor Driver 1 £10.00 £10.00 Motors DC Motors 2 £5.00 £10.00 Jumper Jumper Wires 1 £2.00 £2.00 M3 screws M3 Screws 9 £0.20 £1.80 Design Chassis Lidar holder Motor Driver Holder Wiring Work in Progress The code for LidarBot is available on GitHub. The code is written in MicroPython. this is a work in progress as the Lidar I have is broken (I made the wild assumtion that the red cable was 5V and the black cable was GND, however it turned out that this was incorrect). I have ordered a new Lidar and will update the code when it arrives.