Donkey Car

Q: Can Donkey Car be programmed?

Open source (hardware + software). Python donkeycar library (Keras/PyTorch), web controller, simulator.

Donkey Car community (open source, USA) Donkey Car (1)

Donkey Car community (open source, USA) Donkey Car (2)

~$250–$500 (DIY, est.)

AvailableVia SSH / web / bridgeRC carBehavior cloningOpen sourceRacing

Possibly ≤ 1 weekShipping: Days.

Remote control: Data is recorded on the car, copied to a laptop over SSH/rsync for training, and the model is pushed back. The car is driven from a browser-based web controller.

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Overview

The best-known open-source DIY self-driving RC car. It is driven around a track while recording images and steering, a neural network is trained on a laptop, and then it drives itself. Home of the DIY Robocars racing community. Not a house robot, but an excellent introduction to end-to-end learning.

Type: Wheeled robot · Ready-made dev rovers
Maker: Donkey Car community (open source, USA)
Released: 2017
Price: ~$250–$500 (DIY, est.)
Status: Available
Best for: Ages 14+
Programming: Open source (hardware + software)

Price and shipping

Build cost for an RC chassis, Pi or Jetson, camera and parts. Pre-made kits vary.

Shipping: Days. Built from standard RC and Pi parts, most available from Amazon with Prime shipping.

Specifications

Category	Wheeled rovers · Ready-made dev rovers
Released	2017
Country	USA
Availability	Available
DIY build plans	Donkey Car · parts $250–$300 (estimate) · difficulty 2/5
Programmability	Open source (hardware + software)
Built-in autonomy	Navigates · Goes to places on its own, such as mapped rooms, waypoints or its charging dock
LLM support	Possible via SDK · Open-source Python library, no built-in or official LLM tooling.
MuJoCo simulation	None found · Nothing found. Donkey Car uses its own Unity-based simulator (gym-donkeycar).
NVIDIA Isaac simulation	None found · Nothing found. Donkey Car uses its own Unity-based simulator.
Gazebo simulation	None found · Nothing found. Donkey Car uses its own Unity-based simulator.
Best for	Ages 14+ (estimated)
Vision sensors	Camera, Lidar
Actuators	Mixed
Audio	No audio
Compute type	Raspberry Pi, NVIDIA Jetson
Remote control	Via SSH / web / bridge
Size	1/16 or 1/10-scale RC car, ~1–2 kg (est.)
Drive	Ackermann steering (RC car chassis)
Compute	Raspberry Pi 4/5 or NVIDIA Jetson Nano/Orin
Vision	Wide-angle Pi camera
Lidar	Optional (RPLIDAR supported)
Sensors	Optional IMU, encoders, GPS
Runtime	~30–60 min (est., battery dependent)
Speed	Several m/s (chassis dependent)
SDK	Python `donkeycar` library (Keras/PyTorch), web controller, simulator