NEWVisual Studio Code and MicroPython

Robots for research and education. Electronics from idea to product.

GCtronic is active in the fields of electronics, robotics, mechatronics and computer science. We develop and sell our own robots, and we support companies and labs from the global problem to the final solution.

2005
EPFL spin-off
180+
publications with e-puck
Lugano
Switzerland
Products

Robots and extensions for education and research

Open, extendable platforms, documented with examples on our wiki.

All products
Elisa-3

Miniature swarm robot, 5 cm

Elisa-3

Miniature swarm robot. Diameter 5 cm. Auto recharge, fast radio, 8 proximity, 4 ground, 3D accelerometer, top RGB LED with diffuser. Magnetic wheels available to move also on vertical walls.

Pi-puck and extensions

Linux and Raspberry Pi on the e-puck

Pi-puck and extensions

Pi-puck brings a Raspberry Pi Zero W / Zero 2 W on top of the e-puck and e-puck2 robots. It can be combined with the Omnivision V3 360° camera, the Ultra Wide Band indoor positioning module, an OLED display and the charging wall.

boat-bot

Unmanned surface vehicle for research

boat-bot

Boat-bot is a research and educational robot built as a small catamaran of less than 2 kg. Controlled by a Raspberry Pi, it has a GPS, a full 9D IMU, an Arduino, 2 motor controllers, a speaker, and more.

Services

Engineering support for your project

GCtronic has a broad knowledge in electronics and mechatronics. It proposes services and consulting for the development of projects, products, software and system integration.

The main expertise is project development and integration: from the global problem to the final solution.

Tell us about your project

Product development & integration

From specifications to a working system, integrating electronics, mechanics and software.

Feasibility studies

Evaluate technologies, costs and risks before investing in development.

New product design

Electronic boards, embedded firmware and mechatronic design.

Rapid prototyping

Quick prototypes to test ideas in the real world.

App development

Mobile and web apps connected to your devices via Bluetooth, WiFi and more, like the app for the Morini competition pistols.

News

Latest from the lab

New products, software releases, student awards and events.

All news
Visual Studio Code and MicroPython

Visual Studio Code and MicroPython

Programming the e-puck2 in MicroPython is now even easier: a new guide shows how to set up a complete development environment in Visual Studio Code, with autocompletion of the e-puck2 functions and one-click commands to run scripts on the robot.
The guide also explains how to add an AI coding assistant together with the e-puck2 skill developed by GCtronic, so that the assistant knows the whole e-puck2 MicroPython API.
An example with a debugging exercise is included. For more information refer to the wiki.

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GCtronic Award 2026 at EPFL

GCtronic Award 2026 at EPFL

Under the supervision of Prof. Mondada at EPFL, many groups of students worked in the last months on "Mini-projects" using the robot e-puck2. The EPFL course is called “Embedded Systems and Robotics”.
Winner of the GCtronic Award is the project "e-puck 2 collaborative robotic convoy in embedded system" by students Noé Ventura and Tim Vial. Congratulations. See video.

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e-puck 2.2 hardware update

e-puck 2.2 hardware update

GCtronic introduces the e-puck 2.2 hardware update, featuring a new ESP32 processor with additional 2MB of PSRAM for expanded memory and processing. It also features an ICM-20948 9-axis IMU, replacing the MPU-9250. The main connector and form factor remain the same, so compatibility with all extension is maintained.

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Real-time audio processing with MicroPython

Real-time audio processing with MicroPython

e-puck2 masters advanced audio processing with Micropython: in an exciting development for educational robotics, the e-puck2 robot has demonstrated capabilities related to real-time audio processing using Micropython. This example highlights the robot's versatility for research and development in acoustics and signal processing. For more information refer to the wiki: Micropython examples. The same example was also available in Python, refer to the wiki: Python. Have a look also at the video.

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MicroPython now available on e-puck2

MicroPython now available on e-puck2

Micropython is now available also on e-puck2 robots. This significant update allows users to program the robots using an accessible language, making the e-puck2 an even more powerful tool for educational and research purposes. This is an initial version that will be further updated soon...stay tuned. For more information refer to the wiki.

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Portfolio

What we are working on

Ongoing and recent projects, from water robots to competition pistols.

Full portfolio
Ultra Wide Band localization
ongoing

Ultra Wide Band localization

We are working on a UWB module that can be used for localization, first tests are promising.

EzyMark smart sailing mark
ongoing

EzyMark smart sailing mark

GCtronic in collaboration with the WSM team is improving and tuning the Ezymark. This smart mark is gaining more and more interest in the field. Moreover we are developing also the control interface via web page.

Research Unmanned Surface Vehicle
ongoing

Research Unmanned Surface Vehicle

Inspired by the Ezymark, GCtronic is developing a research Unmanned Surface Vehicle.

About us

A Swiss company born at EPFL

GCtronic is a young dynamic company devoted to electronic and mechatronic development. It is a spin-off of the Autonomous Systems Lab at EPFL (Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne), where it acquired a deep knowledge in miniature mobile robotics and in highly integrated systems.

GCtronic has been founded by Dr. Gilles Caprari (CV) in November 2005 and is based in Ticino, southern Switzerland. It proposes its knowledge to third parties and develops its own devices, selling and supporting its own products as well as third party ones.

2005Founded in Ticino
EPFLSpin-off of the Autonomous Systems Lab
e-puck2Designed by EPFL in collaboration with GCtronic
OpenDocumentation and examples on the wiki
Contact

Let's talk about your project

Questions about our robots, a formal offer, quantity discounts or a development project? Write to us, we will be happy to help.