Shell-E by EZ-Robot
Print it, wire it, bring it to life
Shell-E is EZ-Robot's 3D-printable robot kit: you print the shell, add an EZ-B IoTiny controller, two wheel servos and a camera, and Synthiam makes it move, see and respond. It is built for true beginners and classrooms, with plenty of room to grow into vision, speech and AI.
How Shell-E works with Synthiam. At the heart of Shell-E is the EZ-B IoTiny, a small Wi-Fi controller that runs EZB firmware out of the box. ARCx connects to it with the Ezb Connection robot skill, the Continuous Rotation Movement Panel drives its two wheels, and Camera Source (ezb) brings in the video. We recommend ARCx: it runs on Windows, Linux and Raspberry Pi and is used from any web browser, which suits a classroom of laptops and tablets. ARC, Synthiam's Windows application, works with Shell-E too.
What is Shell-E?
The Shell-E Innovation Kit is a hands-on robotics project. You 3D print a robot body, install the electronics, and then use Synthiam software to make your robot move, see and respond. It is designed for true beginners with no previous robotics experience, while still supporting advanced features for bigger projects.
Think of the IoTiny as the robot's “brain connector”: it links the computer running Synthiam to the robot's wheel servos, LEDs, camera and sensors so the software can control them. Everything plugs in, and the processing (vision, speech, AI) happens on the computer.
In the kit (from EZ-Robot's product page):
- EZ-B IoTiny controller
- Camera block
- Two continuous rotation servos with wheels
- Two LED wires
- Battery holder for six AA cells
- USB Wi-Fi dongle
- The plastic shell is not included: you need access to a 3D printer.
Shell-E at a glance
| Type | 3D-printable two-wheeled robot kit |
|---|---|
| Maker | EZ-Robot |
| Controller | EZ-B IoTiny (EZB firmware) |
| Drive | Two continuous rotation servos with wheels |
| Camera | Camera block |
| Lights | Two LED wires |
| Connection | Wi-Fi |
| Power | Six-AA battery holder |
| Size | 20.3 × 30.5 × 10.2 cm, 0.37 kg |
| Synthiam uses it for | Driving, vision, speech, STEAM lessons |
| Website | ez-robot.com |
What you can do with Shell-E in Synthiam
Design and 3D printing
Print the provided design, or create and customize your own chassis, mounts and accessories.
Electronics basics
Safely connect servos, LEDs, sensors and power to the IoTiny's plug-in ports. No soldering.
Drive
The Continuous Rotation Movement Panel drives the two wheels; steer with its buttons, the keyboard, the Movement Joystick or a gamepad.
Computer vision
Use the camera to track faces, colors and glyphs with Face Tracking, Color Tracking and Glyph Recognition, and drive toward them with Vision Detection Tracking Script.
Human interaction
Add text to speech and voice commands with Speech Phrase Recognition, using the computer's microphone and speakers or the IoTiny's speaker output.
Modern AI tools
Autonomous AI and Chat GPT let Shell-E describe what it sees and decide what to do. ARCx is also an MCP server for AI agents.
Coding and logic
Define behaviors in Blockly, JavaScript or Python with the Script skill, from blinking the LEDs to a full obstacle course.
Custom control screens
Students design their own touch-friendly Custom UI with buttons, a joystick and the camera view, and use it from a tablet or phone.
Remote access
With Exosphere, drive Shell-E from anywhere in a web browser and invite others to try it.
Classroom-ready learning outcomes (STEAM)
Science
Sensors, light, sound, motion and experimentation.
Technology
Controllers, cameras, AI tools and system integration.
Engineering
Design constraints, iteration and mechanical assembly.
Art and math
Aesthetics, measurement, scaling and geometry.
ARCx suits a classroom well: it runs on one computer and every student can open it in a browser on their own laptop or tablet, several at once.
Build Shell-E and connect it to ARCx
- 3D print the Shell-E body parts from the provided design, or your own remix.
- Assemble the chassis and mount the electronics: wheel servos, camera and LEDs. Connect them to the IoTiny's ports with the power off.
- Power on the IoTiny from the battery holder. Many of the IoTiny's port power pins are not regulated and carry roughly the battery voltage, so read the power notes on the IoTiny page before adding other devices.
- Join the robot's Wi-Fi from the computer that will run ARCx, or put the IoTiny on your school or home network as the IoTiny page explains.
- Install ARCx and connect. Download ARCx, open it in a browser, add Ezb Connection, pick Shell-E from the address list or type its address, and press the green connect button.
- Set up the wheels. Add the Continuous Rotation Movement Panel and choose the port each wheel servo is plugged into. Press Forward; swap a wheel's forward and reverse values if it turns the wrong way, and trim its Stop Value if it creeps.
- Add the camera, then skills. Add Camera Source (ezb) and press Start. Then add tracking, speech or a movement joystick. Test, adjust and customize until your robot behaves the way you want.
Beginner tip: start small. First connect to the IoTiny and move one servo. Then add the camera, then sensors. Building in steps makes troubleshooting easy.
Using ARC instead?
Use ARC's EZB Connection, Continuous Servo Movement Panel and Camera Device.
Both work, ARCx is recommended
Shell-E works with both of Synthiam's robot programming platforms, because both speak the IoTiny's EZB protocol. If you are starting today, choose ARCx.
| ARCx Recommended | ARC | |
|---|---|---|
| Runs on | Windows 10/11 x64, Ubuntu 24.04 x64 and ARM64, Raspberry Pi (Ubuntu 24.04) | Windows |
| User interface | Any web browser: laptops, Chromebooks, tablets, phones, several people at once | Windows desktop application |
| AI agents through MCP | Yes | No |
| Connection skill | Ezb Connection | EZB Connection |
Troubleshooting
- Make sure the computer running ARCx is on the IoTiny's Wi-Fi network, or on the same network the IoTiny joined.
- If Shell-E does not appear in the address list, type the address by hand. On Windows the scanner only works when that network is set to Private.
- Check the batteries. The IoTiny's spoken setup prompts tell you which Wi-Fi mode it is in.
Frequently asked questions
Print your robot and bring it to life
Install ARCx, connect Shell-E with Ezb Connection, and start driving, seeing and talking from any browser.
