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Design and Implementation of a Low-Cost Autonomous Surveillance Robot Using ESP32-CAM with Real-Time Object Detection
Subject area: Science,Engineering and Technology · Area of research: Surveillance Robot
DOI: https://doi.org/10.64388/IREV9I7-1718151
Abstract
The high cost and complexity of commercial robotics platforms limit accessibility for education and rapid prototyping in developing regions. This paper presents the design, construction, and evaluation of a low-cost autonomous surveillance robot built around the ESP32-CAM module. The system integrates a dual-core ESP32 microcontroller with an OV2640 camera, L298N motor driver, ultrasonic sensor, and Wi-Fi for remote monitoring and control. The robot streams 1600x1200 MJPEG video at 10 fps over Wi-Fi while performing real-time color-based object detection using OpenCV on a remote server. Experimental results show the prototype achieves 87% navigation accuracy in indoor environments, operates for 2.3 hours on a 2000mAh Li-ion battery, and costs under $35. The design demonstrates that ESP32-CAM can serve as a viable platform for creative robotics education, IoT surveillance, and STEM outreach where budget constraints exist.
Keywords
ESP32-CAM, Robotics, IoT, Surveillance, Low-Cost Hardware, Embedded Vision, Autonomous Navigation
References
[1] Espressif, "ESP32-CAM Development Board," 2021.. Available: https://docs.espressif.com
[2] M. A. Hoque et al., "IoT based face recognition door lock system using ESP32-CAM," Proc. IEEE IC3A, pp. 1–5, 2022.
[3] S. Sharma and R. K. Singh, "Low-cost Wi-Fi robot using ESP8266," Int. J. Eng. Res., vol. 8, no. 5, pp. 112–115, 2019.
[4] M. M. Rahman et al., "Smart plant monitoring using ESP32-CAM," HardwareX, vol. 10, e00198, 2021.
[5] N. Kumar and P. Singh, "ESP32 based surveillance car," Int. J. Sci. Res., vol. 9, no. 3, pp. 234–237, 2020.
[6] P. R. Wilson, "Motor driver selection for small robots," J. Embedded Syst., vol. 4, no. 2, pp. 45–52, 2018.[1][Online][2][3][4][5][6]
How to cite this paper
@article{1718151,
author = {Dr. Madumere Smart Onyemaechi, Ihim Kingsley},
title = {Design and Implementation of a Low-Cost Autonomous Surveillance Robot Using ESP32-CAM with Real-Time Object Detection},
journal = {Iconic Research And Engineering Journals},
year = {2026},
volume = {9},
number = {7},
pages = {3015-3018},
issn = {2456-8880},
url = {https://www.irejournals.com/formatedpaper/1718151.pdf},
abstract = {The high cost and complexity of commercial robotics platforms limit accessibility for education and rapid prototyping in developing regions. This paper presents the design, construction, and evaluation of a low-cost autonomous surveillance robot built around the ESP32-CAM module. The system integrates a dual-core ESP32 microcontroller with an OV2640 camera, L298N motor driver, ultrasonic sensor, and Wi-Fi for remote monitoring and control. The robot streams 1600x1200 MJPEG video at 10 fps over Wi-Fi while performing real-time color-based object detection using OpenCV on a remote server. Experimental results show the prototype achieves 87% navigation accuracy in indoor environments, operates for 2.3 hours on a 2000mAh Li-ion battery, and costs under $35. The design demonstrates that ESP32-CAM can serve as a viable platform for creative robotics education, IoT surveillance, and STEM outreach where budget constraints exist.},
keywords = {ESP32-CAM, Robotics, IoT, Surveillance, Low-Cost Hardware, Embedded Vision, Autonomous Navigation},
month = {January},
doi = {https://doi.org/10.64388/IREV9I7-1718151}
}