StackChan is a cute, community-build, open-source AI desktop robot (Crowdfunding)

StackChan is an open-source AI desktop robot based on the M5Stack CoreS3 ESP32-S3 IoT controller that works as an AI Voice Assistant and can notably be used for Smart Home & IoT control.

It features a 2-inch touchscreen display, a VGA camera, a dual microphone array and a 1W speaker for voice interaction, a few sensors, an infrared receiver, an infrared transmitter/blaster, two servos for horizontal and vertical movement, and a few buttons and LEDs.

StackChan specifications:

• Core module – M5Stack CoreS3 IoT controller
  • Wireless MCU – Espressif Systems ESP32-S3FN16R8
    • CPU – Dual-core 32-bit Xtensa LX7 microcontroller with AI vector instructions up to 240MHz, RISC-V ULP co-processor
    • Memory – 512KB SRAM, 8MB PSRAM
    • Storage – 16MB flash,
    • Wirleess – 2.4GHz WiFi 4 (802.11b/g/n), Bluetooth 5.0 BLE + Mesh
  • Antenna – Internal 3D antenna
  • Storage – MicroSD card slot
  • Display – 2-inch IPS display with 320×240 resolution, 65,536 colors via ILI9342C driver, capacitive multi-touch
  • Camera – 0.3MP VGA (640×480) camera using GC0308 CMOS sensor
  • Audio
    • 1W speaker connected to AW88298 I2S power amplifier chip
    • Dual microphones connected to an ES7210 audio decoding chip
  • USB – 1x USB Type-C port for power and programming
  • Sensors
    • LTR-553ALS-WA proximity sensor
    • BMI270 6-axis gyroscope and accelerometer
    • BMM150 magnetometer
  • Misc
    • Power and Reboot buttons
    • Power switch
    • BM8563 RTC
• Wireless
  • Via ESP32-S3 – 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi 4 IEEE 802.11b/g/n and Bluetooth 5.0 LE
  • Infrared Tx/Rx
  • Full-function NFC ST25R3916 chip
• Motors
  • 360° horizontal servo with feedback
  • 90° vertical servo with feedback
• Expansion – 3x Grove connectors with GPIO, UART, I2C
• Misc
  • 2×6 RGB LED array
  • Power & Reset Buttons
  • 3-area touchpad
  • Power Indicator
  • LEGO compatible holes
• Power
  • 5V via USB-C port
  • 700 mAh Battery
• Dimensions – 70 x 62 x 54 mm
• Weight – 156 grams

The StackChan can be used as a smart speaker, an indoor WiFi security camera with pan and tilt, and more. The LEGO-compatible holes make it suitable as the brain of robotics projects as well. The company says the robot is 100% open-source with access to all code, models, and firmware. The default firmware is written in JavaScript/TypeScript, but the robot also supports Arduino and MicroPython. You’ll find repositories for the default firmware, KiCad hardware design files, an Arduino library, and more on the stack-chan account on GitHub.

The robot can be controlled by the “Stack-chan CONNECT” / “StackChan World” mobile app available for Android  and iOS, and the code can also be found on GitHub in the stack-chan/web folder.

It’s not common to get resources from an open-source project before a crowdfunding campaign is live, and you’ll notice some commits are rather old. That’s because the project is community-driven and has been a few years in the making:

StackChan began as Shinya Ishikawa’s open-source project, created to stay alive through community support. Makers joined in—Takao popularized the DIY kits, and Robo8080 added AI—turning it into a global community. Now, M5Stack launches the first, ready-to-play, endlessly hackable StackChan—kept alive by the community.

M5Stack has just launched the StackChan AI desktop robot on Kickstarter with a $10,001 funding goal. Rewards start at $59 for early backers, shipping adds about $10 to $49 depending on the destination country, and deliveries are scheduled to start in April 2026.

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