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R2B2

r2b2.local · home-built · v2.0

Online Pi 5 Brain Tank Tracks Claude Powered
R2B2 robot with LCD eyes, pi camera, and tank tread chassis sitting on a desk
R2B2 CAM — LIVE

A robot with heart, built one wire at a time

"One day I want to be a real boy."

R2B2 is a home-built robot project by Dad and Eli. Part science project, part family adventure — he's got personality for days, awesome tank tracks, and big dreams.

He can see through his Pi camera, express himself with animated eyes, listen with his ears, and talk back. His brain runs on a Raspberry Pi 5, backed by Claude — kept lean with Haiku and short responses to keep costs down.

Built by Dad + Eli · 2803 N Lentz workshop

Personalities

Mad Mode

Don't cross him when the circuits are hot.

Sad Mode

Droopy eyes and quiet beeps. Needs a hug.

Boss Mode

Runs the workshop. Knows it too.

Happy Mode

Default setting when Eli's around.

Sleepy Mode

Half-lidded eyes. Low power state.

Curious Mode

Camera scanning. Brain whirring.

Hardware

Brain

Raspberry Pi 5

Debian Linux, SSH at r2b2@r2b2. Runs brain.py, mood engine, and the web admin.

Vision

Pi Camera Module

Live feed to the web app. R2B2 can see the world — color quirks and all.

Face

LCD Eyes

Expressive animated eyes on a 5″ display. Mood-driven expressions.

Audio

Ears & Voice

Microphone for listening, speaker for talking back. Full duplex conversation.

Locomotion

Tank Tracks

Awesome rugged treads. Drive remotely from the web — forward, back, spin, stop.

Upgrade

AI Hat

Dedicated AI accelerator board for the Pi 5. On the wish list.

Upgrade

LiDAR

Distance sensing for navigation and obstacle avoidance. Coming soon.

The Brain

R2B2 thinks with Claude via API. Responses are capped to a few sentences and run on Haiku to keep things fast and affordable. Personality modes shape how he talks, reacts, and expresses himself.

# r2b2-brain config
model = "claude-haiku"
max_sentences = 3
mood = get_current_mood()
# dreams_of = "being a real boy"
brain.py — core logic mood.py — personalities motors.py — tank drive eyes.py — expressions web_admin.py — :5000
Early R2B2 prototype pinned to cubicle wall — Brain v1.23 draft board

R2B2 as a Baby

The very first draft board — brain v1.23, camera, and a hand-drawn smiley face.

v1.23
Top-down view of brain board and eyeball display testing mount

Eyeball Testing

First time the LCD eyes came alive. "R2B2 EYEBALLS — Testing Mount."

eyes
Tank track chassis with Pi board and LCD driver

Chassis & Tracks

Awesome tank treads meet Raspberry Pi. The foundation of mobility.

drive
Side profile of tank-track robot with cardboard head

Side Profile

Pi on the platform, cardboard head up top, tracks ready to roll.

build
R2B2 v2.0 with shoebox body, microphone, and external brain enclosure

R2B2 v2.0

Florsheim shoebox body, mic ears, camera eyes, and the brain enclosure wired up.

v2.0
Termius SSH terminal connected to r2b2@r2b2 Debian system

SSH Brain

Peek under the hood — r2b2@r2b2 running Debian on the Pi 5.

ssh
Mobile phone showing R2B2 live camera feed web interface

Remote Camera

R2B2 CAM — LIVE from your phone on the home network.

mobile
Mobile web app with Camera, Control, Chat, People, Brain, and Drive tabs

Full Web App

The complete R2B2 Admin on mobile — camera, chat, brain, and drive.

r2b2.local:5000
Monitor showing R2B2 web admin with live camera and drive controls alongside code editor

Web App

The R2B2 Admin dashboard — camera, drive controls, and the brain code side by side.

r2b2.local:5000
Monitor showing R2B2 drive tab with live camera feed and directional controls

Drive Mode

Steering R2B2 remotely — forward, back, spin, and stop.

drive

R2B2 in Motion

See him roll on those awesome tank tracks.

video