LIFE Robotics Course (Project-LIFE-13062)

Welcome to the LIFE Robotics Course repository. This project contains the code, diagrams, and resources for the LIFE robotics series where we build and program an ESP32-based robot that learns to drive straight, turn precisely using an IMU, and eventually perform mapping and autonomous behaviors.

Course Overview

LIFE is a free, hands-on robotics course that walks you through building a robot platform, programming low-level motor and sensor control, and applying control theory (PID) and IMU sensing (MPU6050) for precise navigation. The series mixes hardware tutorials, Arduino/C++ code, and web-control interfaces using the ESP32.

What you will get from this repository:

• Source code for each lecture/module (see 13062 L1/, 13062 L2/, 13062 L3/ folders)
• Circuit diagrams and 3D-print guidance
• Custom PID and motor control libraries used in the course
• Links to lecture videos and external resources

Lecture / Module Index

Intro — Course Trailer

• Video: https://youtu.be/KHHjebn6sVA
• Summary: Kickoff video showcasing core LIFE features (navigation, path memory, mapping, autonomous decision making).

What's inside the course

• Video: https://youtu.be/j3v7BzDmeeI
• Summary: Full course outline — building the robot, coding (C++, JS, HTML), navigation, mapping, path memory, and web-control.

Module L1 — Foundations: MPU6050 & PID

• Video: https://youtu.be/AyyBTrm51oY
• Summary: Learn to interface the MPU6050 IMU with the ESP32 and implement a custom PID library in Arduino to correct drift and stabilize motion.
• What you’ll learn:
  • How to use MPU6050 with ESP32
  • Why robots drift & how PID control fixes it
  • Writing a simple PID library in Arduino/C++
  • NASA-inspired programming discipline for robotics

Module L2 — Wi‑Fi & Web Control (ESP32)

• Video: https://youtu.be/Of0DStubWUc
• Summary: Build a Wi‑Fi controlled robot with a web interface. This module also demonstrates using VSCode Copilot and prompt-engineering to accelerate code writing.
• What you’ll learn:
  • ESP32 Wi‑Fi setup and WebSocket control
  • PWM motor control and web interface basics
  • AI-assisted coding workflows with VSCode Copilot

Module L3 — PID Straight-Line & Precise Turns (IMU)

• Video: https://youtu.be/1F6HHr7PidI
• Summary: Implement PID control for straight-line motion and use MPU6050 yaw (heading) to perform accurate degree-based turns. Learn calibration and real-time drift correction.
• What you’ll learn:
  • Implementing PID for straight-line motion
  • Using MPU6050 yaw for precise angular turns
  • Calibrating and tuning Kp, Ki, Kd
  • Reusable movement primitives for autonomous navigation

Resources & Code

All course files, downloads and documentation are available from the course site: https://neweraexploration.com/courses

Repository structure (high level):

• 13062 L1/ — L1 code, circuit diagrams, resources
• 13062 L2/ — L2 webserver and Wi‑Fi control code
• 13062 L3/ — L3 straight-line & turn code

Look inside each Codes/ subfolder for the Arduino (.ino) sketches and supporting headers (MPU.h, PID.h, motorcontrol.h, etc.).

Tools & Technologies

• ESP32 microcontroller
• MPU6050 IMU (gyro + accelerometer)
• Arduino IDE or Visual Studio Code (PlatformIO recommended)
• Web technologies (HTML/JS) for browser-based controls
• Custom PID and motor-control libraries included in the repo

Support the Free Course

This course is 100% free. If you’d like to support ongoing development and tutorials, please consider contributing: https://neweraexploration.com/courses/#support

Stay Connected

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nexbot_oo
• Website: https://neweraexploration.com
• Discord community: https://discord.gg/mb7AT6GVEQH

If you post videos or projects using these materials, tag them with: #robotics #arduino #esp32 #roboticscourse #stem #swarm #computervision #3dprinting

Suggested repo tags / SEO keywords: ESP32 PID robot, MPU6050 ESP32, Arduino PID control, precise turn robot, autonomous robot ESP32, straight line robot movement, robot control algorithm, LIFE 13062, New Era Exploration robotics

How to Use This Repo

1. Open the relevant lecture folder (e.g., 13062 L3/Codes/) in Arduino IDE or PlatformIO.
2. Connect your ESP32 board, select the correct board/port, and upload the sketch (example: WEBSERVER-ESPROBOT.ino or L3-Straightline-Turn.ino).
3. For web-control modules, connect the ESP32 to your Wi‑Fi network and open the served web UI in a browser.
4. Tune PID constants in the PID.h/PID files as described in each module video.

Contributing

Contributions, bug reports, and improvements are welcome. Please open issues or pull requests on the GitHub repository and reference the relevant module.

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This README was generated to organize the LIFE course materials contained in this repository. For the official course site, videos, and support options, visit https://neweraexploration.com/courses.