Building a Raspberry Pi-Powered Car with Web Controls

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I've always been that person who takes things apart. As a kid, no appliance in our house was safe from my screwdriver. This evolved from disassembly to building my own contraptions, a hobby that's stuck with me for decades.

Last month, I decided to build something special for my daughter—a small robotic car she could drive using her iPad or any web browser. My goal was straightforward: create something robust enough for a 7-year-old to enjoy but sophisticated enough to teach her basic programming concepts.

The Hardware Decision: Arduino vs. Raspberry Pi

I've traditionally reached for Arduino boards for small robotics projects, but this time I wanted to try something different. The Raspberry Pi 4 turned out to be a revelation for this use case.

For around $30, the Pi delivers an astonishing amount of computing power. You get a full Linux system, built-in networking, HDMI output, and multiple USB ports—advantages that dramatically simplify building a web-controlled vehicle. The GPIO pins made motor control straightforward, while the onboard Wi-Fi eliminated the need for additional networking hardware.

The Control Interface

The car's web interface is deliberately minimal but capable. It allows for:

Setting direction, speed, and duration for each movement
Queuing multiple commands to create simple "programs"
Real-time status feedback during operation

raspberry piroboticsweb interfaceweekend project