Auto-assembled, not yet reviewed

ESP32 Small Robot Dog (SovGVD)

Hobby 3D-printed quadruped with 3-DoF legs, inspired by Petoi Bittle. Archived.

Archived. The source repository is archived read-only and will not receive fixes.

The repositories are archived; the author closed the project.

Lifecycle source

Reproducibility50/100Early source coverage, unverifiedCADBOMWIREFWBUILDLICREPHow it is computed
ESP32 Small Robot Dog (SovGVD) source parts laid out side by side, 3D render from small_dog.FCStd (not the assembled robot)
Parts preview: not the assembled robot · small_dog.FCStd

About ESP32 Small Robot Dog (SovGVD)

A small hobby quadruped robot dog with three degrees of freedom per leg (12 DoF total), inspired by the Petoi Bittle. The structural parts are distributed as FreeCAD source files only, and the ESP32 control firmware lives in a separate repository (SovGVD/esp32-robot-dog-code). The author has explicitly closed the project: some dependencies have aged out, not every planned feature shipped, and no PCB was ever produced. It remains a useful reference design but is not actively buildable without significant rework.

Licenses

Hardware
MIT
Software
MIT
Docs
Not published

Degrees of freedom

12 DoF legs 12

Breakdown source

Quadrupedsource

How to build ESP32 Small Robot Dog (SovGVD)

4 steps

Steps marked Motari summary condense the linked source; follow the source for exact instructions. Upstream step marks a step taken from the linked guide.

  1. Export and print the body

    Open body/small_dog.FCStd in FreeCAD and export each part to STL, then print on an FDM printer. No pre-exported STLs are provided.

    Motari summarygithub.com/SovGVD/esp32-small-robot-dog-hardware

  2. Source 12 micro servos

    Source 12 TowerPro MG90D servos, three per leg, as listed in the firmware README.

    Motari summarygithub.com/SovGVD/esp32-small-robot-dog-hardware

  3. Wire the ESP32 by hand

    No PCB exists. The author flags this as the main pain point. Flash firmware from the separate esp32-robot-dog-code repository.

    Motari summarygithub.com/SovGVD/esp32-small-robot-dog-hardware

  4. Calibrate servos and legs

    Print the servo_calib tool and run the servoCalib sketch to find each servo's limits, then print leg_calib (one copy mirrored), assemble the legs to match the tool (90, 45, 90 degrees) and fine tune each joint with the trim commands.

    Upstream stepgithub.com/SovGVD/esp32-robot-dog-code/blob/109ca0a2d886f05a...
Print timenot published
Assembly timenot published

Wiring, power and firmware are safety-relevant and shown for reference only. Check them against the source before building.

ESP32 Small Robot Dog (SovGVD) bill of materials

6 rows

Cost to build

The sources do not publish a cost total. The rows below are what they list, without a sum.

ESP32 Small Robot Dog (SovGVD) parts, as the source lists them. Prices are the source's, not checked against vendors.

ESP32 Small Robot Dog (SovGVD) bill of materials
PartQtySpecSourceConfidence
ESP32 controllerMain controller named in the linked firmware README hardware list; board variant not specified.
1ESP32 development board, exact variant unspecified
generic ESP32 supplierprice not listedSovGVD/esp32-robot-dog-code README.md lines 12-16
med
TowerPro MG90D micro servoThree servos per leg, 12 total, named by model in the linked firmware README hardware list.
12TowerPro MG90D micro servo
TowerPro / generic robotics suppliersprice not listedSovGVD/esp32-robot-dog-code README.md lines 12-16
high
18650 Li-ion cellTwo cells named in the linked firmware README hardware list; holder, protection, and charger details are not published.
218650 rechargeable cell
generic battery supplierprice not listedSovGVD/esp32-robot-dog-code README.md lines 12-16
med
3D-printed robot body partsPrimary robot body/leg structural CAD in the hardware repo; no upstream exported STL set is published.
1body/small_dog.FCStd FreeCAD source
make yourself from the project's FreeCAD fileprice not listedSovGVD/esp32-small-robot-dog-hardware README.md lines 6-8; body/small_dog.FCStd at commit f653a38
high
Servo calibration printed toolFirmware instructions require printing the servo calibration tool before generating the servo profile.
1tools/servo_calib.FCStd FreeCAD calibration jig
make yourself from the project's FreeCAD fileprice not listedhardware README.md lines 6-8 and firmware README.md lines 20-28
high
Leg calibration printed tool/templateFirmware instructions require printing leg calibration templates, including a mirrored copy for the other side.
1tools/leg_calib.FCStd FreeCAD calibration jig/template
make yourself from the project's FreeCAD fileprice not listedhardware README.md lines 6-8 and firmware README.md lines 30-41
high

Rows from the source's own parts list 4

README.md@f653a38markdown

Source rowQtyPrice and vendorLine
FreeCAD body and calibration tool source files
body folder plus tools folder
ESP32 robot dog hardware READMEno price listed
L6

README.md@109ca0amarkdown

Source rowQtyPrice and vendorLine
minimal controller, servo, and battery hardware list
ESP32 x1 inferred, TowerPro MG90D servos x12, 18650 cells x2; IMU not included because README marks it not implemented
linked firmware README hardware listno price listed
L12
Servo calibration printed tool
one printed servo calibration tool
SovGVD firmware READMEno price listed
L20
Leg calibration printed tool/template
one source tool/template set; mirror one side during printing
SovGVD firmware READMEno price listed
L30

ESP32 Small Robot Dog (SovGVD) source files

5 files

Files stay in the upstream repository under their own licenses; these links open them there. The 3D model on this page is Motari's conversion of the file named under Simulation.

ESP32 Small Robot Dog (SovGVD) in simulation

Robot description files a simulator or CAD tool can load, linked at the commit they were found.

No URDF, MJCF, SDF, USD or Onshape model has been found in the sources.

The 3D specimen on this page is converted from body/small_dog.FCStd at f653a38, with the parts laid out side by side because the source has no assembly.

Builds of ESP32 Small Robot Dog (SovGVD)

0 reviewed

No reviewed builds of ESP32 Small Robot Dog (SovGVD) yet.

A build log records the evidence (photos, a video, your repository), what the build cost, how long it took and what you changed. Each one is checked by Motari (until a maintainer claims this page) before it shows here, and reviewed builds count toward the reproducibility score.

Sources and provenance

Sources

Last push to SovGVD/esp32-small-robot-dog-hardware: 2022-05-04 (checked 2026-10-01)

Related links

How this page was made

Assembled from public sources on 2026-06-04, not yet reviewed by the maintainer. Each figure links to where it is stated; a value the sources do not state reads "not published". Last source review: source-reviewed 2026-06-08.

Original files stay intact and separately licensed; Motari adds only the summary on this page. Maintainer? Request a correction or removal.

Badge for the README

Maintain ESP32 Small Robot Dog (SovGVD)? Show its reproducibility score in the project's README. The badge links back to this page and updates with the score.

Badge: reproducibility 50/100

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Not fully met yet: bom evidence (partial), wiring diagram, build instructions. The score is read from the project's own sources, so publishing what is missing is what raises it. A score of 90 or more needs a reviewed build. How the score is computed