SCOUT-CAM is a compact, dual-mode reconnaissance rover designed for inspecting hazardous, confined, or hard-to-reach indoor environments where human entry is unsafe, slow, or simply impractical. Typical use cases include:

• Checking suspicious packages or unattended bags from a safe distance.
• Surveying smoke-filled rooms before firefighter entry.
• Inspecting crawl spaces and attics.
• Scouting around collapsed furniture or shelving in search-and-rescue training exercises.
• Looking for lost pets, leaks, or chewed cables in places a human cannot easily reach.

The rover streams live video from an on-board ESP32-CAM and is steered with a Sony DualShock 4 controller. It seamlessly switches between two operating modes:

• Tele-operated mode — the operator drives the rover and aims the camera using the PS4 controller's analog sticks.
• Autonomous mode — when activated, the rover uses an ultrasonic sensor to avoid obstacles and continue exploring on its own, so it never freezes in a dangerous spot.

The system has three logical layers, separated by the communication medium they use:

1. PS4 controller (Bluetooth) — provides the human interface. Left stick → forward/turn. Right stick → camera pan/tilt. Triangle button → toggle autonomous/manual mode. Cross button → emergency stop.
2. Host computer (Wi-Fi) — receives controller events over Bluetooth, converts them into high-level commands and forwards them as HTTP Requests to the ESP32-CAM over a TCP socket. The same script also pulls the MJPEG video stream from the camera and displays it in a window for the operator.
3. ESP32-CAM (rover) — parses incoming commands, drives the L298N H-bridge and the two servos, samples the ultrasonic sensor, and runs the obstacle-avoidance state machine when in autonomous mode. It also serves the live camera feed over HTTP.

In manual mode the ESP32-CAM is essentially a translator: it turns network commands into signals for the servos and the DC motors. In autonomous mode it ignores the drive commands from the PC and instead runs a simple behaviour:

1. Go forward.
2. If an obstacle is detected within 20 cm, stop.
3. Pan the camera left and right, take a distance reading at each side.
4. Turn toward the side with more free space; resume forward motion.

The operator can take control back at any moment by pressing the mode-toggle button on the PS4 controller — useful when the rover gets stuck or makes a poor decision.

The 9 V battery feeds the MB102 breadboard power supply, which provides a clean 5 V rail to the ESP32-CAM, the two servos and the L298N's logic input. The DC motors are powered directly from the battery through the L298N's H-bridge — this keeps the noisy motor current off the camera's supply, which would otherwise cause Wi-Fi resets and image artefacts.

| ESP32-CAM (AI-Thinker)

TBA