VerhoBot is an open-source smart curtain robot designed to automate existing curtain rails using affordable, widely available hardware and fully customizable software.
The project was born from a simple observation: many people use blackout curtains to improve sleep quality, but those same curtains prevent natural sunlight from entering the room when it is time to wake up. This challenge is particularly noticeable during the Finnish summer, when long daylight hours and bright nights can disrupt normal sleep patterns.
VerhoBot addresses this problem by providing a compact robotic platform capable of opening and closing curtains automatically according to schedules, user commands, or future smart-home automations.
Unlike many commercial curtain robots, VerhoBot is designed from the beginning as an open-source project. Every aspect of the system including hardware design, firmware, mechanical components, and future software integrations is intended to be accessible, modifiable, and extensible by makers, students, engineers, and hobbyists.
VerhoBot solves both problems.
VerhoBot is a compact curtain-moving robot designed to automatically close your curtains when you need darkness and open them again when it is time to wake up. The goal is simple: improve sleep quality while letting natural sunlight become part of your morning routine.
Built around the ESP32 platform, VerhoBot aims to be affordable, repairable, open-source, and easy to integrate into modern smart homes.
- Automatic curtain opening and closing
- Compact rail-mounted design
- Battery-powered operation
- ESP32-based controller
- Quiet operation
- USB-C charging
- Low-power sleep modes
- Open-source hardware and software
- Scheduled curtain control
- Sunrise and sunset automation
- Home Assistant integration
- Mobile configuration
- OTA firmware updates
- Battery monitoring
- Manual override controls
- Position calibration
- Smart alarm mode
Finland's summer is famous for its bright nights.
While blackout curtains help create a dark sleeping environment, they also block the morning sunlight that helps regulate the body's natural wake-up cycle.
VerhoBot combines the best of both worlds:
- Darkness when you need sleep
- Sunlight when it is time to wake up
No alarms. No bright phone screens. Just natural light at the right moment. The long-term vision of VerhoBot is to create a flexible, affordable, and fully open curtain automation platform that can evolve through community contributions. Rather than competing with commercial smarthome products, VerhoBot aims to give users complete ownership of their hardware, software, and data while remaining accessible to makers of all skill levels.
The project aims to provide a practical open-source platform for learning:
Embedded systems ESP32 development Mechanical design Battery-powered electronics IoT communication Smart-home integration Product development
Whether you are building your first ESP32 project or developing advanced automation systems, VerhoBot should provide a foundation that is easy to understand, modify, and improve.
| Component | Purpose |
|---|---|
| ESP32-C3 | Main controller |
| Geared DC Motor | Curtain movement |
| Motor Driver | Motor control |
| Li-Ion Battery | Portable power |
| USB-C Charger | Charging interface |
| Position Sensors | Open/close detection |
- Compact form factor
- Rail-mounted operation
- Existing curtain compatibility
- 3D-printable enclosure
- Modular internal architecture
▶ VerhoBot enclosure and mechanical design
Pre-release 3D CAD files here
- Basic motor control
- Position calibration
- Manual open/close control
- Scheduling system
- Battery monitoring
- Configuration interface
- Home Assistant integration
- OTA updates
- Smart automation features
Mechanical Design ███████░░░ 70%
Electronics Design ██████░░░░ 60%
Firmware Development ███░░░░░░░ 30%
Testing ░░░░░░░░░░ 0%
Active development is ongoing.
VerhoBot follows a few simple rules:
- Open-source first
- Repairable hardware
- Affordable components
- Low power consumption
- Easy to build
- Easy to modify
- No vendor lock-in
- Position sensing
- Motor current monitoring
- Automatic obstacle detection
- Endstop detection
- Environmental sensors
- Advanced power management
Contributions, ideas, testing feedback, and hardware improvements are welcome. As the project evolves, documentation, CAD files, schematics, and firmware source code will be published in this repository.
Distributed under the MIT License.
See LICENSE for more information.