and in that arena [jomjol] has a very neat solution involving an ESP32 camera module and a software neural network to identify meter readings directly. The ESP and camera sit at the top of a 3D ...

Robots are cool, so check out [Atlin Anderson]’s Spiderbot (video, embedded below) which can be made with 3D printed parts, hobby servos, and ESP32-CAM module for control and a first-person view.

Additionally, he explored an alternative approach without removing any hardware. Instead, he used the Roomba Open Interface (ROI), a built-in feature of the vacuum cleaner’s original control board.

Of course, you'll need a camera module that’s compatible with your ESP32 board, and there are plenty of affordable options ...