IoT Camera Bot with Night Vision using Raspberry Pi

IoT-Camera-Bot

A DIY Raspberry Pi-powered robot car controlled through a web browser interface with real-time video streaming. Built using Flask, WebSockets, GPIO, and Picamera2 — no external controllers or apps needed!

About the project

This project runs on a Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W with Raspberry Pi OS 64-bit installed. Despite its small size and low power usage, this Pi packs enough performance to handle a basic video stream and control a 4WD robotic car.

To ensure a smooth and steady video feed, I don't rely on the Pi's internal Wi-Fi. Instead, I use a TP-Link AC1300 USB Wi-Fi adapter, which supports 5GHz networks. This allows a faster and more stable connection between the Raspberry Pi and my home network.

The Raspberry Pi connects to my home Wi-Fi using the TP-Link adapter, not the built-in one. I initially used the desktop GUI to set it up, but later switched to CLI-only mode to improve performance by freeing up resources.

How it works?

The video feed isn’t technically a live stream. Here's what happens: the camera captures raw frames, which are not natively web-compatible. Each frame is converted to MJPEG format and served in sequence through a browser. So you're actually watching a rapid slideshow of JPEGs, not a continuous video.

The bot uses a night vision camera, but any standard Pi-compatible cam should work. I'm using an L298N motor driver to drive a 4WD chassis. Motors on the left and right sides are paired for control simplicity. Power comes from a 2S 18650 battery pack, providing 8.4V. Due to voltage drop (~2V) across the BJT-based L298N, a higher input voltage helps maintain motor speed. If you're prioritizing efficiency, consider switching to a MOSFET-based H-bridge. The Pi itself draws power from a separate 5V power bank module to keep things stable.