Imagine if one of the highest-status things a politician could say was: “I don’t know yet. I’d like to hear from the relevant experts before deciding.”

I've been rescuing old robot code from the archives — skittlebot (2017), armBot (2014), and a MicroPython music project are now on GitHub. Nearly 12 years of history recovered from zip files and broken git repos 🤖 orionrobots.co.uk/2026/06/18/1... #robotics #opensource #python #opencv #raspberrypi

My book *Learn Robotics Programming, 3rd Edition* is in Packt’s June Sale. The ebook is currently **$9.99**. Build robots with Python, Raspberry Pi, MQTT, sensors, motors, and computer vision. www.packtpub.com/en-us/produc... #packtsale #robotics #python #mqtt

Nextcloud top tip - don’t accidentally make git clones and venvs there (or node modules). Now I have a bit of a mess to fix up.. keep git repos at arms length from cloud sync drives .

That’s some major robot building intensity!

Safety update for Learn Robotics Programming (3rd Edition): The Anker power bank recommended has been recalled since publishing. Check if your robot’s battery pack is affected and see current suggestions at: orionrobots.co.uk/2026/06/15/1...

Today I mentored MicroPython Robotics at CoderDojo KU. Children programmed LED animations, line following, and obstacle-avoiding robots. One created a robot that "winced" when too close to an obstacle. Robot tear-down video: youtu.be/6AjJ9fMFUlc

After a session learning to deploy tiny visual processing models on the esp32 s3, I’ve had an idea - try to train an out of shot detector for videos. This breakout is gonna make esp32 dev boards easier to wire up.

Look what came in the post ! It’s also number #1 in new releases for single board computer books today. There’s still a 27% discount on them at Amazon.com. lnkd.in/eBnBya5F

Five days after launch, the print edition of Learn Robotics Programming, 3rd Edition has a limited time deal on Amazon.com. Build a real Raspberry Pi robot with Python, sensors, MQTT services, OpenCV vision, local voice AI and localisation. www.amazon.com/dp/1803246987/ #robotics #Python

Taking a break from the robots… to tell you about the robot book #shorts youtube.com/shorts/A_Qi6...

Tomorrow my new book, Learn Robotics Programming, 3rd Edition, is published! I'm so excited! Build a Raspberry Pi rover with Python, MQTT services, OpenCV vision, local voice AI, localisation, sensors and phone control. www.packtpub.com/en-us/produc... #robotics #Python

I've published a video tearing down (disassembling) one of the fleet of RP2040 based Coder Dojo KU robots I built, since one of them was in need of maintenance. Follow along to see how they were built, and what design decisions I'd made. youtu.be/6AjJ9fMFUlc

We’ve lost fruit cultivars to pathogens, bananas being an example. Could people create a of bank of cuttings, such that they are kept isolated enough from pathogens but also alive, such that a pathogen could pass , and it could later be reinstated. Because bananas were once tastier…

Shake your hands in the air in you know what it is… yes yes yes

Python, we have a problem. I've been a user of python, the language, since around 2008 (maybe earlier). The language is still pretty good. But the package ecosystem is a mess. Multiple package managers, new troubles getting old repos set up in fresh ubuntu/debian.

Note for advertisers. If I’m looking to download some bit of software, and your ad appears to impersonate the real download button, I will report it as inappropriate.

orionrobots.co.uk/2026/04/02/0... - more learning really, after another servo failure.

Important note for using AI, or software engineers. Have someone else review their works. Peer review is a key concept in decent coding. Not rubber stamping, but an actual analysis. What did they write? Why did they do it like that? This looks like a mistake?

So what robot builders are at #smrrf2026 today?

If there’s any thing to fear in London it’s poor weather. We’ve a week of freezing cold rain to come. I was trying to find a good time to clear up Some garden things, but it won’t be this week.

Ok - this is an awesome idea - hackaday.io/project/2050.... I use breadboards for students/mentee's to prototype and try stuff on. The slot incompatibility made the Pico and Esp32/nodemcu factors a bit awkward. This is a nice solution.

A cool thing about teaching others something is that you usually end up seeing them teach someone else it.

Good afternoon from downtown Chicago, where despite heavy snowfall, thousands have gathered for an anti-ICE/CBP demonstration in solidarity with the Twin Cities. More are still streaming in. Lt. Illinois Gov. Juliana Stratton just addressed the crowd, and called for ICE to be abolished.

US government rn

OpenAI exec James Dyett calling out the cowardice

Trying to determine if the YS has hit some kind of threshold for a rogue state, is perhaps like CMOT Dibbler’s (Discworld) dragon detector. That was a bit of wood on a metal handle, when the wood burns, you’ve found your dragon…

I want to remain talking about robotics, 3d printing, Lego and so on. But what is going on in the world has me increasingly concerned. The US appears to be turning into terrifying right wing dystopia, and the far right in the UK (through Reform) are trying to follow suit.

If you were computing in the 1980s then these books were a must! Still have my originals from back in the 80's when I started with a #ZXSpectrum. I'm still developing for 8-bits. Hardware / software / magazine for the #SAMCoupe (www.samcoupe.com) plus some Speccy hardware too (zx.samcoupe.com)

Now that's an interesting challenge. Perhaps I could tame it to 52 robot projects in 52 weeks - where "project" means improving/fixing an existing robot as much as getting around to building a new one from my parts stores?

ok, lets change that servo on the robot arm. TO THE BOX OF SERVOS! The old one comes out with 2 screws.

For those interested, here is a 'flying tour' of this robot arm. I pulled some neat tricks when I was building these. Each of them was more 3d printable than the last.

If you see this, post your dragon art!

ok! we have live robot! yay, all my work to do something easy got me finished 2 days early! (52 robots in 52 weeks)

The design process

playback from realtime trainer recording! I can also do waypoints that are linearally interpolated. (realtime is just a fast stream of the same interpolation)

In 2026 that I still find it crazy that schools send word documents in emails, and fail to put actual content in the email. Often, that word document has less than 4 paragraphs of text - it really could just be email body. Sort out teacher digital literacy in the UK!

Last week, I managed to build a python 2d robot physics simulation using PyGame and Pymunk - something I wanted to do for year. I connected it to the code I'm building for Learn Robotics Programming 3rd Edition - I think the result is pretty cool. www.youtube.com/watch?v=XbNH...

Waveshare have some really cool toys - but I wish they hosted the code on Gitlab, github and pypi for python bits instead of random rar/zip file downloads from their wiki.

I spent the festive season - Christmas and New Years in and around London. The H2g2 show was an amazing and odd night out. Winter Wonderland - a little pricey but fun. Afternoons in Kingston great for the family. The buses, trains and underground all worked pretty well. Weather was ok too!

I’m really excited about this one 🤖📘 Packt is doing any Data & AI eBook for $9.99 for a limited time — including my upcoming Learn Robotics Programming (3rd Ed.). Pre-order: www.packtpub.com/en-gb/produc... #Robotics #Python

Wants get into another of my values? Informed consent. Ie: give people genuine information and then they must consent. I hate how politics, news and so much marketing leans on lying and gaslighting. And they are all doing it, regardless of product or alignment.

Having had time to think on what values my robotics and code mentoring represent, its creative play. Making opportunities for it, building tools and skills to enhance it. Bringing more people to more ways they can do so.

So Day 1 printing with TPU - nice and clean, no issues. It's been a couple of weeks, and now I'm getting lots of stringing. It was kept in the printer enclosure, with silica gel - but that's temperature controlled, and I suspect moisture has made its way in. I might need to heat it.

The Cyberbrick official controller sticks need sanding and smoothing to move nicely. They grate unpleasantly without it as the layer lines catch on the joystick covers. The one on the left has been processed, the one on the right is yet to be smoothed. PLA marble red granite has a rough surface too.

On my way to a gig from The Orb and Dreadzone live in Brixton. I’ve been listening to the Orb for at least 30 years, perhaps similarly with Dreadzone. Somewhere I’ve a uni photo of my messy halls room with a “UF Off” (UF Orb plus others possible cd) cardboard stand in my background.

Last night I printed TPU treads for my build of the Cyberbrick forklift. They came out good first time! I’m using TPU for AMS.

My first TPU print, using my A1 mini, is a 4mm hex bit holder for the iFixit bits in my #tinytoolkit . It’s come out really well. I did a partial cold pull first (didn’t take the tube off as it’s quite frustrating to).

Storing some of my filaments as I use other toes and colours. I’ve put desiccant filled hubs, and sealed bags for each. Meanwhile, loading the TPU into the AMS. It’s notably heavier for a similar sized spool. First time with TPU.

More glued parts. Getting the tiny magnets in is interesting. They can need a bit of force to fit, so I need something more substantial than the tweezers, but then they are so magnets and get stuck to the long nose pliers.