Waveshare
WAVE ROVER Flexible And Expandable 4WD Mobile Robot Chassis, Full Metal Body, Multiple Hosts Support, With Onboard ESP32 Module
Full metal body · Onboard ESP32-WROOM-32 · Multiple host support The WAVE ROVER is a rugged, all-metal 4WD robot chassis for makers, students and researchers...
Full metal body · Onboard ESP32-WROOM-32 · Multiple host support
The WAVE ROVER is a rugged, all-metal 4WD robot chassis for makers, students and researchers who want a capable mobile platform without building one from scratch. Its entire codebase is open source, it ships with an onboard ESP32 controller, and it has mounting points for a Raspberry Pi, Jetson, lidar and pan-tilt camera. Drive it straight out of the box over Wi-Fi, then extend it as far as your project goes.
What's in the box — and what you need to supply
Included
- WAVE ROVER chassis (assembled), with the onboard ESP32 driver board fitted
- Mounting plate for a host computer / lidar / camera
- 12.6V 2A charger This is a US charger, an Australian charger may need too!
You supply
- 3 × 18650 lithium cells — NOT included. The rover runs on three 18650 cells wired in series (3S) inside the built-in UPS module. A high-discharge-rate cell is recommended. Lithium cells can't be shipped installed in the chassis, so you'll need to add your own.
- A host computer (Raspberry Pi / Jetson) is optional — it's only needed if you want to add vision, autonomy or lidar. The rover drives on its own over Wi-Fi without one.
First-use tip: plug the 12.6V 2A charger into the charging port to wake the UPS module — the rover won't power on from the switch until the battery module has been activated.
Which ESP32 is on board? — ESP32-WROOM-32
The brains of the rover is Waveshare's General Driver for Robots board, built around the ESP32-WROOM-32 module. That gives you 2.4GHz Wi-Fi, Bluetooth (BLE 4.2) and ESP-NOW with no extra hardware. The board also carries a 9-axis IMU (accelerometer + gyroscope + magnetometer), a microSD/TF card slot, serial bus servo control, PWM outputs, an I2C header and a lidar interface — so there's plenty of room to grow without swapping the controller.
You can program it directly in the Arduino IDE, or just leave the supplied firmware in place and drive it as-is.
Drive it from any phone or laptop
Power on and the rover creates its own Wi-Fi hotspot — connect from any phone or computer with a Chromium-based browser and open the built-in web interface to drive it. No app to install. The web UI shows live battery voltage, signal strength, heading angle, and IP/MAC details, with on-screen direction and speed controls.
Prefer it on your own network? Switch it to STA mode and it joins your Wi-Fi, then remembers it for next time.
Everything is controllable via simple JSON commands, which you can send over HTTP, USB serial, the 40-pin UART, or ESP-NOW — ideal for scripting movement from a Raspberry Pi or PC. A built-in heartbeat keeps things safe: if the rover loses connection or doesn't receive a command for a few seconds, it stops automatically.
The entire web app is open source, so you can rebuild the interface and add your own controls.
Built to be extended
- Multiple hosts: mount a Raspberry Pi (4B, 5, Zero) or Jetson Nano / Orin Nano on the included plate and talk to the ESP32 over the 40-pin UART or I2C.
- Sensors & accessories: add an LD19 / STL-27L lidar, a pan-tilt camera, or up to several ST3215 serial bus servos.
- Off-road ready: N20 geared motors, flexible rubber tyres and a 2mm aluminium body handle rough terrain, climbs up to 22°, and clears 40mm obstacles.
- In-place rotation: 0m minimum turning radius — it spins on the spot.
- Open hardware: chassis DXF/PDF drawings and 3D models are published for custom mounts and secondary development.
Specifications
Spec Detail Controller ESP32-WROOM-32 (onboard General Driver for Robots board) Wireless 2.4GHz Wi-Fi, Bluetooth BLE 4.2, ESP-NOW Motors 4 × N20 12V 200RPM geared motors (1.5W each) Drive 4WD Top speed 1.25 m/s Min. turning radius 0 m (rotates in place) Climbing ability 22° Vertical obstacle 40 mm Driving payload 0.8 kg Body material 2 mm 5052 aluminium alloy Tyres Nylon hub, rubber tyre — 80 mm dia × 42.5 mm wide OLED screen 0.91 inch Chassis height 33.70 mm Outline dimensions 194 × 168 × 100 mm Weight 860 g Power 3S UPS module — 3 × 18650 (not included); 12.6V 2A charger included Interfaces UART / serial bus servo / I2C Remote control Wi-Fi AP / STAResources
Full documentation, open-source demos, wiring guides for Raspberry Pi / Jetson hosts, the JSON command set, and chassis drawings are on the Waveshare wiki: waveshare.com/wiki/WAVE_ROVER
The onboard driver board is the General Driver for Robots — see that product's wiki for board-level pinouts and tutorials.
Jargon buster
Plain-language definitions for the technical terms used above.
- BLE
- BLE stands for Bluetooth Low Energy, a Bluetooth mode designed for lower power use and modern phone compatibility. It matters because BLE support can make the module easier to use with Apple devices and battery-powered projects, though it may behave differently from classic serial Bluetooth.
- ESP32
- ESP32 is a family of microcontroller modules with built-in wireless features such as Bluetooth and WiFi. Knowing this product uses an ESP32-based module helps explain how it provides wireless serial communication and firmware update features.
- Gyroscope
- A gyroscope measures rotation, such as how fast a board is turning around its X, Y, and Z axes. This matters for projects like gesture controls, balancing robots, and motion tracking where tilt or rotation changes need to be detected.
- I2C
- I2C is a two-wire communication bus used by many sensors and small modules. It matters because several I2C devices can share the same two wires, but each device needs a compatible address and your controller must support I2C.
- IDE
- Short for Integrated Development Environment, a program used to write, run and manage code. It matters because some learners prefer a traditional coding workspace instead of a guided notebook-style lesson.
- IMU
- An Inertial Measurement Unit combines motion sensors to measure movement and orientation. It matters for asset tracking because it can detect movement, tilt, vibration, or changes in direction.
- LiDAR
- A sensing method that uses laser light to measure distance and build a 3D picture of the surroundings. It matters for robotics and autonomous systems because LiDAR data can help with mapping, navigation and obstacle detection.
- magnetometer
- A sensor that measures magnetic fields, often used to work out compass direction. It matters because nearby magnets, motors, or metal objects can affect readings and may require calibration.
- OLED
- OLED stands for organic light-emitting diode, a display type where each pixel produces its own light. It matters because OLED screens are thin, high-contrast and easy to read for small status displays, but they can be more sensitive to image burn-in than some other display types.
- PWM
- Pulse Width Modulation is a way for a digital pin to simulate variable output power by switching on and off very quickly. It matters for controlling things like LED brightness, motor speed, or servo-style signals from a microcontroller pin.
- servo
- A servo is a motor with built-in position control, usually told to move to a specific angle by a control signal. It matters when you need repeatable movement, such as steering, arms, flaps, or linkages, rather than continuous spinning.
- UART
- UART is a simple serial connection that sends data over separate transmit and receive wires, often labelled TX and RX. It matters because this module is designed to replace a wired UART cable with a wireless link while keeping the same serial data format.
- UPS
- An uninterruptible power supply is a battery-backed power system that keeps a device running when external power is unplugged or fails. For an embedded computer, it helps prevent sudden shutdowns that can corrupt files or interrupt a project.
This product includes a US 12.6V@2A DC Power Supply. It has a US plug and is not intended for use in Australia.
Please discard the power supply.
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Robotics & Motion
