SunFounder GalaxyRVR Mars Rover Kit, Smart Video Robot Car Kit Compatible with Arduino Uno R3 with ESP32 CAM for Real-Time FPV Visuals, R3 Board & Rechargeable Batteries Included

This is a very nice rover from Sunfounder. I've been looking for a "Mars-like" rover for some time and came across this unit. It has a solid design and performs well. Very good printed instructions and on-line assembly videos as well. If you're new to electronics, Sunfounder has very good tutorials to go along with the build process. If you're just looking to assemble and have fun playing, you can just do that but I encourage at least going through the online tutorials as they explain how all the systems work and how the programming that runs it all functions. It's beginner friendly. I would recommend this kit to anyone looking for a new gadget to have some fun with.

I would like my back yard to be like Mars, populated by robots. I was and am still considering a automated mower or sweeper since I have mostly rocks, dirt and sand. However, they are priced $700 and way up. The rover was around $100 so I can learn about self-driving without breaking the bank. The kit went together with very little effort and was quite enjoyable. I look forward to programming some patterns and using the knowledge for building more robots.

The construction of the GalaxyRVR Mars Rover is great - a very sturdy aluminum frame The written instructions for the assembly of the rover are well illustrated but the online assembly videos make assembling the rover very easy. When I received the rover it had one faulty IR obstacle avoidance sensor and one wiring harness that was wired incorrectly. I contacted SunFounder and worked with a great customer support representative. She initially provided troubleshooting hints for the IR sensor (potentiometer settings, etc.). When we determined that it was indeed a faulty sensor, she quickly shipped me a new IR sensor and a new wiring harness. She periodically updated the shipping status of the replacement harness and sensor via email. I definitely will give the customer service 5 stars. When the rover was completed it worked flawlessly. The online tutorials are a great way to learn more about the electronic components and the Arduino coding used by the rover.

First, I am tech savvy, with several IT certifications. I have worked considerably with C++ and Python. The aluminum structural components of this kit are of decent quality, however, the suspension is difficult to align because of design flaws, and some parts, particularly the locking nuts, are unnecessarily difficult to work with. Still, the assembly of the kit is straightforward enough. However, connecting the RVR network to the app is an exercise in futility, so controlling the RVR with an (Android) phone is null. Similarly, downloading code via the Arduino IDE generates numerous compilation errors resulting from missing libraries. Multiple attempts to identify and download the missing libraries failed. Consequently, the RVR sits on a shelf collecting dust. In its current form, this kit is fatally flawed and should be avoided.

I bought this kit as an adult and it was so much fun assembling and learning about Arduino. The manual containing assembly steps was clear and straight-forward. I LOVE the fact that, in additional to the assembly kit, they put together additional educational materials that you can read and follow, which explains what each component does and how it works. You can tell when they created this product, they put a lot of thoughts into not only creating an amazing physical kit, but also an educational product that encompasses much more than just the physical kit. I HIGHLY recommend this product.

Kit contains about 200 parts - all of which were present. Nicely machined aluminum parts, very good printed assembly instructions come with the kit. Worth the money if you want a challenging but doable robotics learning experience.

Sunfounder did a great job designing this rover. The instruction videos take you step by step through the whole process including how to write the codes to make it work. If you are interested in learning code this kit is a must. The functionality of the rover is great and I think it a great value for your money.

The media could not be loaded. It’s an okay build; unfortunately, the ESP32 failed after about 5 minutes. Also, updates had missing libraries that I could not find, and there were no good resources to fix it online.