Hardware Podcasts

Episode 134: Robotics as a hobby - Kevin McAleer

Robot Talk · 21 Nov 2025 · 37m · Episode 134

What this episode covers

Kevin McAleer, founder of Kev's Robots, explains how he transitioned from a computer science background to building hobbyist robots using 3D printers, Arduino, and MicroPython. He details his educational projects, including the Smars robot, Haybot, and Bubo, which utilize components like Raspberry Pi Pico, ultrasonic sensors, and OpenCV for computer vision. McAleer discusses the accessibility of modern robotics tools, such as Tiny Tapeout for custom silicon and affordable sensors from suppliers like Waveshare, while highlighting the challenges of selling kits due to Brexit tariffs. He also reflects on the current state of humanoid robotics, noting the gap between pre-choreographed demonstrations and the complex reality of general-purpose manipulation and safety.

Most relevant to

makers and hobbyists

Topics

Mentioned

Companies
Kev's Robots, Waveshare, VM Robots, SparkFun, Adafruit, Digi-Key, HobbyKing, PCBWay
Products
Smars robot, Inmoov, Bubo
Chips
Arduino, Raspberry Pi Pico
Tools
OpenCV
Also
MicroPython, Tiny Tapeout

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