The Pololu Zumo 32U4 robot is a versatile tracked robot based on the Arduino-compatible ATmega32U4 MCU. It includes two 75:1 HP micro metal gearmotors along with integrated dual motor drivers, an LCD, quadrature encoders, line sensors, side and front proximity sensors for detecting objects, and a full IMU for detecting impacts and tracking orientation. The low-profile robot is less than 10 cm × 10 cm—small enough to qualify for Mini Sumo. No soldering or assembly is required; just add 4 AA batteries and a USB cable and your Zumo is ready for programming.
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The Zumo 32U4 is a highly integrated, user-programmable and customizable tracked robot. It measures less than 10 cm on each side and weighs approximately 275 g with batteries (170 g without), so it is both small enough and light enough to qualify for Mini-Sumo competitions, but its versatility makes it capable of much more than just robot sumo battles.
At the heart of the Zumo 32U4 is an ATmega32U4 AVR microcontroller from Microchip (formerly Atmel), and like our A-Star 32U4 programmable controllers, the Zumo 32U4 features a USB interface and ships preloaded with an Arduino-compatible bootloader. A software add-on is available that makes it easy to program the robot from the Arduino environment, and we have Arduino libraries and example sketches to help get you started. A USB A to Micro-B cable (not included) is required for programming. For advanced users who want to customize or enhance their robots with additional peripherals, the robot’s power rails and microcontroller’s I/O lines can be accessed via 0.1″-spaced through-holes along the sides and front of the main board.
The Zumo 32U4 features two H-bridge motor drivers and a variety of integrated sensors, including a pair of quadrature encoders for closed-loop motor control, a complete inertial measurement unit (3-axis accelerometer, gyro, and magnetometer), five downward-facing reflectance sensors for line-following or edge-detection, and front- and side-facing proximity sensors for obstacle detection and ranging. Three on-board pushbuttons offer a convenient interface for user input, and an LCD, buzzer, and indicator LEDs allow the robot to provide feedback.
This version of the Zumo 32U4 robot (item #3126) ships fully assembled with a pair of 75:1 HP micro metal gearmotors (with extended motor shafts).
Micro Metal Gearmotor | Free-Run Speed @ 6V | Stall Torque @ 6V | Stall Current @ 6V | Top Zumo Speed @ 6V and 500g | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
75:1 HP or 75:1 HPCB | 400 RPM | 22 oz·in | 1600 mA | 25 in/s | (65 cm/s) |
Batteries (not included)
The Zumo 32U4 robot runs off of four AA batteries. It works with both alkaline and NiMH batteries, though we recommend using rechargeable AA NiMH cells.
Documentation and other information
User’s manual for the Pololu Zumo 32U4 robot.
File downloads
- Pololu A-Star 32U4 drivers for Windows (version 1.3.0.0) (7k zip)
- This download contains the Windows drivers for the A-Star 32U4 and the rest of our 32U4 family of boards.
- Zumo 32U4 pinout diagram (536k pdf)
- Printable pinout diagram of the Zumo 32U4 main board.
- Zumo 32U4 schematic diagram (1MB pdf)
- Printable schematic diagram of the Zumo 32U4 robot.
- 3D model of the assembled Zumo 32U4 Robot (40MB step)
- This model uses simplified models of the control electronics to reduce the file size. More detailed models are available separately of the Zumo 32U4 main board (23MB step) and Zumo 32U4 front sensor array (4MB step).
- Dimension diagram of the Zumo 32U4 Main Board (482k pdf)
- Zumo 32U4 main board drill guide (236k dxf)
- This DXF drawing shows the locations of all of the board’s holes.
- Zumo 32U4 robot 3D model (30MB pdf)
- Rotatable 3D model of an assembled Zumo 32U4 robot (Note: this file might not work properly with all pdf viewers.)
- Texas Instruments DRV8837/DRV8838 motor driver datasheet (1MB pdf)
- LSM303D datasheet (1MB pdf)
- Datasheet for the ST LSM303D 3D accelerometer and 3D magnetometer module.
- L3GD20H datasheet (3MB pdf)
- Datasheet for the ST L3GD20H three-axis digital-output gyroscope.
- Datasheet for the Sharp GP2S60 compact reflective photointerrupter (164k pdf)
- Datasheet for the sensor used on the QTR-3RC and QTR-3A Reflectance Sensor Arrays, the Zumo 32U4 robot front sensor array, and the Optical Encoders for micro metal gearmotors.
- Vishay TSSP77038 IR receiver module datasheet (268k pdf)
- TPS2113A datasheet (1MB pdf)
- Datasheet for the Texas Instruments TPS2113A autoswitching power mux.
Recommended links
- Zumo 32U4 Arduino library
- The Zumo32U4 library for the Arduino IDE helps interface with the on-board hardware on the Zumo 32U4 robot.
- Zumo32U4 library documentation
- A-Star repository on GitHub
- This repository contains Arduino add-on files, Windows drivers, and bootloaders for the A-Star 328PB, A-Star 32U4, and the rest of our 32U4 family of boards.
- ATmega32U4 documentation
- Microchip’s product page for the ATmega32U4 AVR microcontroller, with links to its datasheet, application notes, and other resources.
- Using the L3GD20 gyroscope in control systems
- This is a YouTube playlist by control systems lecturer Brian Douglas that uses the L3GD20 MEMS gyroscope. It describes the fundamentals of the gyro and how to use it for closed and open loop control projects with MATLAB/Simulink and Arduino.