Name: DFRobot Maqueen Plus V3
Brand: DFRobot
Price: 69.9 USD
Availability: InStock

DFRobot (China) DFRobot Maqueen Plus V3 (1)

$69.90$69.90 for either the AA-battery or the 18650-battery version (DFRobot store, September 2026). The micro:bit is not included, and batteries (4×AA or one 18650) are not in the shipping list. The simpler Maqueen Lite is still sold at $32.00 (Lite V5 $34.00), and the older Maqueen Plus V2 is still listed at $49.90. Year estimated from the earliest store review (June 2025) and a product video dated June 2025.

AvailableVia SSH / web / bridgemicro:bitMakeCodeToF rangingEncodersClassroom

Weeks+Shipping: ~1–2 weeks (ships from China). Sold by DFRobot's own store, which ships from China. No Amazon US listing for the Plus V3 was found (the Maqueen Lite is listed there). DFRobot store ↗

Remote control: A computer can talk to a custom micro:bit program over USB serial or Bluetooth, which then drives the car. There is no official laptop-side Python library.

DFRobot store ↗Wiki (AA version) ↗Wiki (18650 version) ↗

Overview

A micro:bit car aimed at school robotics competitions, with encoder motors, a 5-channel line sensor that recognizes crossroads and T-junctions on board, and an 8×8 laser ranging sensor. It suits classrooms that already use micro:bit and want more precise driving than the cheaper Maqueen Lite. The laser matrix gives a coarse depth map rather than a single distance reading, which is unusual at this price. The micro:bit and batteries cost extra, and it ships from China.

Specifications

Category	Wheeled rovers · Classroom coding cars
Released	2025
Country	China
Availability	Available
Programmability	Full SDK
Built-in autonomy	Reactive · Responds to its surroundings without a map, such as avoiding obstacles or following a person
LLM support	Possible via SDK · No AI features, but MakeCode JavaScript/Python and community MicroPython libraries give an LLM code to write.
MuJoCo simulation	None found · Nothing found.
NVIDIA Isaac simulation	None found · Nothing found.
Gazebo simulation	None found · Nothing found. A community ROS 2 project (VIMe531/maqueen_ros) runs the car with micro-ROS but has no URDF or Gazebo model.
Best for	Ages 8+ (est.) (estimated)
Vision sensors	Depth camera
Actuators	DC / gear motors
Audio	Speaker
Compute type	Arduino / ESP32 / microcontroller
Remote control	Via SSH / web / bridge
Size	Not published
Drive	2-wheel differential drive, detachable N20 metal gear motors with magnetic encoders (PID distance ±2 cm, angle ±5°)
Compute	BBC micro:bit (not included) on the Maqueen Plus V3 baseboard
Vision	None (HuskyLens AI camera is an optional add-on)
Lidar	8×8 matrix laser ToF ranging sensor (64 zones, 20–4000 mm, 60° × 60° field of view, 15–60 Hz), not a scanning lidar
Sensors	8×8 laser ranging matrix, 5-channel line tracking with intersection recognition, 2 light sensors, IR receiver, wheel encoders
Runtime	4×AA (AA version) or one 18650 Li-ion (18650 version), not included, runtime not published
Speed	Not published
SDK	MakeCode (blocks, JavaScript, Python); community MicroPython libraries