Getting Started With Mercury | Arduino Setup

The Story Behind Mercury: A Step Beyond Arduino

Every journey in electronics and robotics begins with a single board— and for many, that’s Arduino. It’s simple, versatile, and the perfect starting point for beginners learning the fundamentals of coding and hardware. However, as projects grow in complexity, the need for more power, built-in connectivity, and seamless motor control becomes evident.

That’s where Mercury comes in. We created Mercury Development Board to be the next logical step after Arduino—bridging the gap between beginner-friendly development and more advanced, feature-rich robotics projects.

Why Mercury?

✅ Built-in Motor Driver – No need for extra shields, drive up to two motors (1A per channel) with ease.✅ WiFi Connectivity – Powered by the ESP12F (ESP8266-based) module, allowing wireless control & IoT capabilities.✅ Servo & Sensor Support – Directly interface four 5V servo motors and an ultrasonic sensor for obstacle detection.✅ Multiple Voltage Rails – VCC, 5V, and 3.3V to support a wider range of components.✅ SPI & I2C Support – Expand your projects effortlessly with additional sensors and peripherals.✅ Mobile App Integration – Control robots wirelessly using our custom-built mobile app.

Whether you're building a robotic car, a smart home system, or an IoT project, Mercury eliminates the need for external motor drivers and WiFi modules, making it an all-in-one powerhouse for makers and students.

Arduino gets you started. Mercury takes you further.

Arduino Setup - Add Mercury Board Support

Detailed instructions can be found here: https://github.com/RoboticsAI-Lab/products/tree/master/core/board_manager/mercury

Step 1: Download the latest stable version of Arduino IDE (2.x.x and above) from the https://www.arduino.cc/en/software

Step 2: Enter the below.json file link into the "File > Preferences > Additional Boards Manager URLs" field of the Arduino IDE.

https://raw.githubusercontent.com/RoboticsAI-Lab/products/refs/heads/master/core/package_ral_index.json

Step 3: Open Boards Manager from Tools > Board menu and install "Robotics AI Lab" platform.

Step 4: Select "Mercury" board from Tools > Board menu after installation and you should be good to go.

***For more information please refer to https://github.com/esp8266/Arduino/tree/master?tab=readme-ov-file