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QuirkyCort

QuirkyCort/gears

A browser-based robotics simulator that runs Ev3dev-style code for educational robots, so you can practice without owning a robot.

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Last commit
2 days ago

What is it?

Gears is a generic educational autonomous robotics simulator built to let anyone experiment with robot programming without owning a physical robot. It runs in the browser and uses the Ev3dev API, with some early support for Pybricks, so programs written for it can also run on a real Lego Mindstorms EV3.

The simulator is served through a web server. A hosted version is available online, and you can run your own copy by placing the project files in a directory on any web server. Browsers block the simulator when it is opened from a file:// URL due to CORS restrictions, so it must be served over HTTP. For local use, Python 3 can serve the public folder with its built-in http.server module.

The project is licensed under GPL v3 and is built on Babylon.js for 3D rendering, Blockly for block programming, Skulpt for running Python, and Ammo.js for physics.

Key features

  • 01Simulates robots that can be programmed with the Ev3dev API.
  • 02Early support for Pybricks code.
  • 03Runs in the browser with no robot hardware needed.
  • 04Code can be transferred to a real Lego Mindstorms EV3.
  • 05Can be hosted on any web server or run locally with Python.

Use cases

  • Learning robot programming in a classroom without physical kits.
  • Practicing EV3 code before running it on a real robot.
  • Teaching autonomous robotics concepts to students remotely.

Quick start

  1. 1

    Download Gears from the GitHub archive

  2. 2

    Change to the gears/public directory

  3. 3

    Start a local web server on port 1337

    python -m http.server 1337
  4. 4

    Open http://localhost:1337 in your browser

Things to know

  • It must be served through a web server and will not work from a file:// URL.
  • Pybricks support is only early and partial; the main target is the Ev3dev API.
  • The README states it is licensed under GPL v3, a copyleft license.

In collections

Learning & education toolsRobotics & embodied AI projects

Topics

#robotics#simulator#education#javascript#lego-mindstorms#ev3dev#blockly#babylonjs

FAQ

What is gears?
A browser-based robotics simulator that runs Ev3dev-style code for educational robots, so you can practice without owning a robot. Gears is a generic educational autonomous robotics simulator built to let anyone experiment with robot programming without owning a physical robot. It runs in the browser and uses the Ev3dev API, with some early support for Pybricks, so programs written for it can also run on a real Lego Mindstorms EV3.
Is gears free to use? What license does it have?
gears is open source under the Other license. Check the license terms before using it in commercial products.
Is gears still maintained?
Actively maintained. The last commit to gears was on Nov 6, 2026.
What can I use gears for?
Learning robot programming in a classroom without physical kits. Practicing EV3 code before running it on a real robot. Teaching autonomous robotics concepts to students remotely.
How do I install gears?
Download Gears from the GitHub archive Change to the gears/public directory Start a local web server on port 1337: python -m http.server 1337 Open http://localhost:1337 in your browser
Where can I get gears?
The source code and installation instructions are on GitHub: https://github.com/QuirkyCort/gears

Summary generated by AI from the project's README. GitHub stats refresh daily.

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