Esp

E.L.B.E.R.R.

A fanmade animatronic robot powered by local AI, embedded control systems, and custom hardware.

Overview

E.L.B.E.R.R. is a fanmade animatronic project inspired by the robot featured in the animations from LIGHTS ARE OFF.

The goal of this project is to recreate the character as a physical animatronic robot using a custom local AI system, embedded motor control, sensors, and purpose-built hardware. E.L.B.E.R.R. is designed as a self-contained robot that can process information locally, control its own actuators, and respond through real-time embedded systems.

This is an unofficial fan project. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or produced by LIGHTS ARE OFF.

_{Reference image of the robot from the original animation.}

Built Robot Gallery

A few photos from the assembled robot, scaled for cleaner viewing in the repository.

Architecture

Core Concept

E.L.B.E.R.R. is built around a three-processor architecture:

• A Raspberry Pi 5 acts as the primary computer, running the local AI system, behavior engine, perception, and overall robot coordination.
• An ESP32-S3 serves as the communication and sensing processor, handling environmental sensors, wireless connectivity, and RF communication.
• An STM32 microcontroller is dedicated to real-time servo and actuator control, ensuring smooth, deterministic motion and reliable animatronic performance.

This separation allows each processor to focus on a specific task while keeping motion control isolated from higher-level software.

The Raspberry Pi 5, ESP32-S3, and STM32 communicate with one another over UART.

flowchart LR
  Camera[Camera] --> Pi[Raspberry Pi 5]
  Mic[Microphone] --> Pi
  Other[Embedded Sensors] --> ESP

  Pi <-->|UART| ESP[ESP32-S3]

  Pi --> AI[Local AI System]
  AI --> Behavior[Behavior Engine]

  Pi <-->|UART| STM[STM32]
  STM --> Servos[Servos]
  STM --> Actuators[Animatronic Actuators]

Hardware Architecture

Raspberry Pi 5

The Raspberry Pi 5 is the central computer of E.L.B.E.R.R.

Its responsibilities include:

• Running the local AI system
• Managing high-level robot behavior
• Processing camera, microphone, and perception data
• Coordinating communication between all processors
• Handling networking, logging, and debugging
• Making behavioral decisions before sending motion commands to the STM32

The Pi is responsible for what the robot thinks.

ESP32-S3

The ESP32-S3 is dedicated to sensing and wireless communication.

Its responsibilities include:

• Reading environmental sensors
• Monitoring digital and analog inputs
• Handling RF and wireless communication
• Forwarding sensor information to the Raspberry Pi 5
• Providing low-power peripheral management

The ESP32-S3 is responsible for what the robot perceives and how it communicates with external devices.

STM32

The STM32 is dedicated to real-time motion control.

Its responsibilities include:

• Driving servos and animatronic actuators
• Generating precise PWM outputs
• Executing smooth motion profiles
• Enforcing movement limits
• Monitoring actuator timing
• Executing commands received from the Raspberry Pi 5

The STM32 is responsible for how the robot moves.

Hardware Schematics

The design files in the repository include the core hardware schematics and module layouts for the robot control system.

ESP modules

ESP32-S3 board

Eye module

Project Structure

E.L.B.E.R.R/
|-- 3dmodels/
|-- esp32-firmware/
|   |-- include/
|   |-- lib/
|   |-- src/
|   |-- test/
|   `-- platformio.ini
|-- hardware/
|   |-- README.md
|   |-- esp/
|   |   |-- esp.kicad_pro
|   |   |-- esp.kicad_sch
|   |   |-- esp.kicad_pcb
|   |   |-- bom.csv
|   |   |-- production/
|   |   `-- esp-backups/
|   |-- eyes/
|   |   |-- eyes.kicad_pro
|   |   |-- eyes.kicad_sch
|   |   |-- eyes.kicad_pcb
|   |   |-- bom.csv
|   |   |-- production/
|   |   `-- eyes-backups/

Technologies

Inspiration

This project is inspired by the robot created in the animations from LIGHTS ARE OFF.

E.L.B.E.R.R. is a fanmade physical interpretation of that concept, built as a personal robotics, AI, and embedded systems project.

Credits

Special thanks to the people who helped along the way:

• ESP PCB review: Estylos
• Help with STM32 project setup: Pupariaa

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License.

See the LICENSE file for details.