Microcontrollers like the ESP32 have helped to democratize hobby engineering, with cheap hardware and accessible projects.Some of these builds can feel quite out of reach, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t stop to admire them and maybe take inspiration for future ideas.Seeed Studio XIAO ESP32-C6 Brand Seeed Studio The Seeed Studio XIAO ESP32C6 is the perfect microcontroller for your next smart home project.
The built-in Zigbee and Thread radios compliments Matter support.Plus, with Wi-Fi 6, it'll easily connect to modern wireless networks. $5 at Seeed Studio $12 at Amazon Expand Collapse The Halcyon Dawn Spaceship Simulator A control interface for a game that you’ll never play The Halcyon Dawn Spaceship Simulator is quite possibly the wildest ESP32 project I’ve ever seen, for multiple reasons.You only need to take a look at this thing to realize that it’s something special.
In a post on Reddit, project author u/triggur (of Mad Goat Labs) describes the project as a labor of love that incorporates 152 physical controls, six screens, and 164,000 lines of code.In addition to the contraption, the author also created the game that goes along with it.Described as a work of fan-fiction set in John Scalzi’s sci-fi universe, the game itself will never be released.
If you want to learn more, there’s a deep-dive into the game that you can fully explore, but the author’s refusal to release comes down to the fact that “nobody else has the expensive simulator frame it requires,” and a "don't make money off my stuff" rule set by the original series author.What been released is Enigma, the framework used to build the physical control system on which the game relies.These are USB human interface device (HID) boards for switches, rotary encoders, analog inputs, and addressable LEDs.
They include support for sound, haptics, and displays, with detailed documentation available.To quote the project author, the panels used for the game are “deliberately generic (some panels have up to 3 Enigma boards inside them) rather than purpose-built so that I can use them on future projects, including escape room puzzles.” OomWoo open-source robot vacuum This project sucks Close OomWoo is an open-source robot vacuum that you can build yourself, with an ESP32 microcontroller making up one small part in the full build.The final bill of materials is estimated to cost around $200 in parts, plus the price of a Raspberry Pi 5 (4GB).
The finished project should offer similar performance to a mid-range robot priced around the $600 mark, with mopping and premium obstacle detection.While that’s around half the price of buying a retail unit, you’re not building this just to save a few hundred dollars on a robot vacuum.This is a journey on which you embark to overcome a challenge and fully embrace the open-source alternative to a market dominated by pricey proprietary options.
Build instructions are expected to arrive later in 2026, with the project still under active development.The idea is to walk away with a high-quality home appliance that integrates with Home Assistant, uses 3D-printed parts, and doesn’t rely on the cloud.If you can’t wait that long, consider installing Valetudo on an existing retail robot.
DIY thermal imaging camera Insulate your house and spot leaks If you want a thermal imaging camera badly enough, there are lots of options available to you.One of those is to build one yourself, and that’s exactly what Circuit Digest shows you how to do in this involved guide.You’ll build a camera capable of measuring a temperature range from -40ºC to 300ºC with adjustable refresh rate, 10 color palettes, and five interpolation modes.
Powered by an ESP32, the finished camera uses a 3D-printed chassis, can save images to an SD card, has a built-in battery and charging circuitry, and makes use of a proper graphical interface and physical controls.The project’s author has shared PCB schematics (which will require ordering) and STL files (to print at home) on the GitHub repository.Subscribe to the newsletter for standout ESP32 projects Looking for hands-on maker inspiration? Subscribing to the newsletter delivers curated coverage of standout ESP32 and DIY projects—deep dives, resource links, and parts lists for builds like robot vacuums, control panels, and thermal cameras.
Get Updates By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.You can unsubscribe anytime.A thermal imaging camera can be fun to play with, particularly since they give you a numerical reading of the measured temperature in addition to colors on a screen.
You can use them to look for hot and cold spots to better insulate your home, and they even have utility in spotting leaks within the walls which cause visible temperature variations.Alternatively, there are simpler builds available like this Makerfabs version.Looking for some projects you can start working on right now? Check out last week’s collection of ESP32 kitchen projects.
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