Ryan Walmsley, creator of Rastrack and co-editor of Pi Weekly (and constant CamJam attendee!), has had a great success with his RTK motor controller board and has now branched out into a full beginners robot kit. The kit includes almost everything you need to get a robot up-and-running:

• A RTK motor controller board kit
• A chassis
• A wi-fi adapter
• A battery box for driving the motors
• 2 motors and wheels
• Wires to connect it up and screws to assemble it
• Lots of documentation and code

He is running the kits as an Indiegogo campaign and so you have some options:

• £33 – the kit with a motor controller board you’ll have to solder yourself
• £35 – the kit with a soldered motor controller board
• There’s also a 5-robot set available for schools at £148 (which is quite a saving).

For the first ten he sells, there’s a £3 discount on the basic kit so you could pick one up for £30.

The only things you will need to get yourself are: a Raspberry Pi, batteries for the motor pack and a portable power source for the Pi. Ryan’s decided not to include these as shipping of batteries carries with it a load of regulations and possible extra charges.

You will be hard-pushed to find a better kit at a better price. The quality is good and has been fully tested by Ryan.

Go and get one now if you want to get into robotics!

I’m not affiliated to Ryan or his business, I just think this is a great kit at a great price and I like to support new business where I can.