Surveillance Robotic Car
WebSockets-Controlled Patrol Chassis with ESP32-CAM & ESP8266
Custom dual-microcontroller robotic platform supporting wireless virtual joystick steering, servo camera rotation, and Telegram alert notifications.
System Specs
Compiled Stack
Project Overview
The Surveillance Robotic Car is a hybrid hardware-software robotic system designed for remote patrolling. Driven by a custom native Android application, users steer the vehicle via a virtual multi-axis joystick and control camera viewing angles (via dual pan-tilt servo motors) over low-latency WebSockets. The hardware utilizes an ESP8266 NodeMCU to process wheel traction motor signals, while a separate ESP32-CAM hosts a wireless video web server. The system automatically captures snapshot frames and broadcasts motion updates directly to a Telegram security channel.
Application Architecture & Modules
Dual MCU Architecture
Designed an isolated task flow dividing labor: ESP8266 controls locomotion and servo sweep coordinates, while the ESP32-CAM dedicates all CPU threads to MJPEG video streaming.
WebSocket Telemetry Protocol
Established a WebSockets protocol running on the ESP8266 local server, accepting instant motor speed and angle payloads from the Android App with sub-10ms latency.
Android Virtual Joystick Panel
Built a native Android control panel in Java mapping touch drag vectors into integer vector speeds for differential steering drive configurations.
Pan-Tilt Camera Servos
Engineered dual SG90 servo mechanisms allowing 180-degree horizontal panning and 90-degree vertical tilting, controlled via separate touch sliders on the Android UI.
Telegram Alert Integrations
Integrated Telegram Bot API endpoints to push immediate security text warnings and live capture frame snapshots to a chat window when sensor triggers occur.
Local Access AP Mode
Configured microcontrollers to support both local Wi-Fi router clients and standalone Soft-AP modes, enabling remote control in networks without external internet connections.
The Problem It Solves
Standard RC surveillance cars rely on dedicated radio controllers with extremely limited range and no telemetry feedback, or require expensive cloud servers. This project establishes direct low-latency WebSocket communication between a custom Android app and a dual-microcontroller vehicle chassis. It enables real-time steering, pan-tilt camera control, and automated Telegram alarm notifications entirely within local networks.
Real-World Uses
- Remote security patrolling in hazardous environments, narrow ducts, or warehouses.
- Wireless live feed surveillance and camera servo steering (180° pan, 90° tilt).
- Low-power automated security rover that reports sensor breaches directly to a Telegram channel.
Want to build this or acquire the source?
Whether you are looking for the full production source code, circuit schematic diagrams, component list guidance, or custom feature integration, feel free to reach out. We are happy to help you build or customize this project.