Build and Control a Pi‑Powered Robot with Live Video Streaming

Why sPiRobot?

For many of my projects I’ve traditionally used an Arduino, but for this build the Raspberry Pi serves as the brain. That’s why the project is called sPiRobot.

Hardware Checklist

• 1 × Raspberry Pi (any model that supports USB webcam and Wi‑Fi)
• 1 × USB webcam (e.g., Logitech C920)
• 1 × USB Wi‑Fi dongle (USB‑2.0, 802.11b/g/n)
• 1 × 4 GB microSD card (high‑speed UHS‑I)
• 1 × Micro‑USB or USB‑C power cable (minimum 2 A)
• 1 × 9 V battery (for remote operation)
• 1 × H‑Bridge / L293D motor driver
• 1 × HDMI/AV monitor (for initial setup)
• 1 × USB keyboard + mouse (for initial setup)

Step 1: Prepare the Raspberry Pi

1. Flash the latest Raspberry Pi OS (formerly Raspbian) onto the microSD card. Follow the official guide: Installing Raspberry Pi OS.

2. Insert the SD card, connect the HDMI monitor, keyboard, mouse, and Wi‑Fi dongle. Power the Pi via the USB cable (or a reliable power supply).

3. Once the desktop loads, open a terminal.

Step 2: Install Essential Packages

Run the following commands to update the system and install the libraries needed for video streaming, web serving, and image processing:

$ sudo apt-get update
$ sudo apt-get install libv4l-dev libjpeg8-dev subversion imagemagick libapache2-mod-php5 php5 apache2 git

Step 3: Set Up the Webcam Streamer

We’ll use MJPG‑Streamer to push the webcam feed over HTTP.

$ svn co https://svn.code.sf.net/p/mjpg-streamer/code/ MJPG-streamer
$ cd MJPG-streamer/mjpg-streamer
$ sudo make USE_LIBV4L2=true

Verify that the directory now contains:

• mjpg_streamer (executable)
• input_uvc.so
• output_http.so

Step 4: Retrieve the Project Code

Clone the sPiRobot repository:

$ git clone https://github.com/sohil4932/sPiRobot

This will create a folder named sPiRobot with all server‑side scripts.

Step 5: Deploy the Server Files

Copy the necessary files to Apache’s document root:

$ cd sPiRobot
$ sudo cp backward.sh control.html forward.sh help_steuerkreuz.png index.html init.sh left.sh right.sh spirobot.php shutdown.sh stop.sh /var/www/

To allow the web server to control GPIO pins, grant www-data super‑user privileges:

$ echo "www-data ALL=(ALL) NOPASSWD: ALL" | sudo tee -a /etc/sudoers

Step 6: Connect the Pi to Wi‑Fi and Find Its IP

Open Wi‑Fi‑Config (pre‑installed on Raspbian), connect to your router, then run:

$ ifconfig

The inet addr under wlan0 is the Pi’s local IP address—keep this handy for remote control.

Wrap‑Up

With the Pi powered, the webcam streaming server running, and the web interface deployed, you can now control your robot and view its camera feed from any device on the same network (or via port forwarding for remote access).

For a detailed walk‑through and troubleshooting tips, consult the original tutorial or the GitHub README.