Switch Science Begins Sales of "M5 Stack-chan," an AI-Enabled Desktop Robot Co-Created with M5Stack and its User Community
Switch Science has started selling "M5 Stack-chan," an AI-enabled desktop robot co-developed by M5Stack and its user community. It uses CoreS3 as its main controller, features rich sensors and AI agent functions, and is an open-source product with high expandability.
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- 📰 Published: May 8, 2026 at 21:20
- 🔍 Collected: May 8, 2026 at 12:32
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Switch Science Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as Switch Science, Headquarters: Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, Representative Director: Shigeru Kanemoto) has begun selling two types of "M5 Stack-chan," an AI-enabled desktop robot co-developed by M5Stack (Headquarters: Shenzhen, China) and its user community, including a version bundled with a joystick controller. "Stack-chan" is usually written in half-width katakana, but due to system limitations, it is written in full-width katakana in this article.
"M5 Stack-chan" adopts CoreS3, M5Stack's flagship IoT development kit, as its main controller. It uses an ESP32-S3 SoC equipped with a 240 MHz dual-core processor, 16 MB flash memory, and 8 MB PSRAM, and also features Wi-Fi and Bluetooth functions.
The 2.0-inch capacitive touch display on the main unit is covered with robust glass, so you can take it anywhere without worrying about damage. It also features a 0.3-megapixel camera, proximity sensor, ambient light sensor, 9-axis IMU (accelerometer, gyroscope, magnetometer), microSD card slot, 1 W speaker, dual microphones, and a power/reset button.
It uses a USB-C interface for power and data transfer. The main unit is equipped with a 550 mAh battery, two feedback servos (1 x 360° horizontal continuous rotation, 1 x 90° vertical rotation), 6 x 2 rows of RGB LEDs, an infrared transceiver, a 3-zone touch panel, and an NFC module.
The pre-installed firmware is packed with rich features such as AI agents, lively and characterful animations, ESP-NOW wireless controller function, and online app download function. It can be used in a wide range of ways utilizing the internet environment, such as watching videos and remotely controlling avatars using a mobile app. It also supports online updates. It can be programmed on various platforms including Arduino and UIFlow2, and supports expansion using M5Stack products, making it suitable for a wide range of applications.
"Stack-chan" is an open-source robot (project page: https://github.com/stack-chan/stack-chan) that anyone can build from scratch, released in 2021 by Shishikawa (Shinya Ishikawa) as a project where an open community, not a specific company or individual, nurtures the robot together. In the community, led by Mr. Takao who organizes gatherings to create and sell convenient kits and work on "Stack-chan," there is an environment where literally anyone can build from scratch, and various functional "Stack-chan" have grown. Even now, nearly five years after its release, its fan base continues to grow.
▶︎ "M5 Stack-chan" Specifications
"M5 Stack-chan"
Main Controller
ESP32-S3 Xtensa Dual-core 32-bit LX7 240 MHz
16 MB Flash Memory
8 MB Quad PSRAM
Wireless Connectivity
2.4 GHz Wi-Fi IEEE 802.11 b/g/n
Bluetooth 5 LE
Infrared Receiver IRM56384 + Infrared Transmitter
Wired Connectivity
USB CDC, Full-speed USB OTG
GPIO, UART, I2C
Display
2.0-inch IPS LCD, 320*240 resolution, 65536 colors, ILI9342C driver
Capacitive multi-touch, FT6336U driver
Camera
GC0308, 640*480, 0.3 Megapixel
Sensors
Dual Microphones, ES7210 Audio Codec
Proximity/Ambient Light Sensor LTR-553ALS-WA
9-axis IMU BMI270 + BMM150 (Accelerometer, Gyro, Magnetometer)
3-zone Touch Panel Si12T driver
NFC Module ST25R3916
Operation
1 W Speaker, AW88298 16-bit I2S Power Amplifier
12 x RGB LED WS2812C
Power/Reset Button
Power Indicator LED
Servos
1 x 360° Horizontal Continuous Rotation
1 x 90° Vertical Rotation
Power
550 mAh Battery
USB-C
Power Management IC AXP2101, RTC BM8563
Product Size
54.0 x 70.5 x
"M5 Stack-chan" adopts CoreS3, M5Stack's flagship IoT development kit, as its main controller. It uses an ESP32-S3 SoC equipped with a 240 MHz dual-core processor, 16 MB flash memory, and 8 MB PSRAM, and also features Wi-Fi and Bluetooth functions.
The 2.0-inch capacitive touch display on the main unit is covered with robust glass, so you can take it anywhere without worrying about damage. It also features a 0.3-megapixel camera, proximity sensor, ambient light sensor, 9-axis IMU (accelerometer, gyroscope, magnetometer), microSD card slot, 1 W speaker, dual microphones, and a power/reset button.
It uses a USB-C interface for power and data transfer. The main unit is equipped with a 550 mAh battery, two feedback servos (1 x 360° horizontal continuous rotation, 1 x 90° vertical rotation), 6 x 2 rows of RGB LEDs, an infrared transceiver, a 3-zone touch panel, and an NFC module.
The pre-installed firmware is packed with rich features such as AI agents, lively and characterful animations, ESP-NOW wireless controller function, and online app download function. It can be used in a wide range of ways utilizing the internet environment, such as watching videos and remotely controlling avatars using a mobile app. It also supports online updates. It can be programmed on various platforms including Arduino and UIFlow2, and supports expansion using M5Stack products, making it suitable for a wide range of applications.
"Stack-chan" is an open-source robot (project page: https://github.com/stack-chan/stack-chan) that anyone can build from scratch, released in 2021 by Shishikawa (Shinya Ishikawa) as a project where an open community, not a specific company or individual, nurtures the robot together. In the community, led by Mr. Takao who organizes gatherings to create and sell convenient kits and work on "Stack-chan," there is an environment where literally anyone can build from scratch, and various functional "Stack-chan" have grown. Even now, nearly five years after its release, its fan base continues to grow.
▶︎ "M5 Stack-chan" Specifications
"M5 Stack-chan"
Main Controller
ESP32-S3 Xtensa Dual-core 32-bit LX7 240 MHz
16 MB Flash Memory
8 MB Quad PSRAM
Wireless Connectivity
2.4 GHz Wi-Fi IEEE 802.11 b/g/n
Bluetooth 5 LE
Infrared Receiver IRM56384 + Infrared Transmitter
Wired Connectivity
USB CDC, Full-speed USB OTG
GPIO, UART, I2C
Display
2.0-inch IPS LCD, 320*240 resolution, 65536 colors, ILI9342C driver
Capacitive multi-touch, FT6336U driver
Camera
GC0308, 640*480, 0.3 Megapixel
Sensors
Dual Microphones, ES7210 Audio Codec
Proximity/Ambient Light Sensor LTR-553ALS-WA
9-axis IMU BMI270 + BMM150 (Accelerometer, Gyro, Magnetometer)
3-zone Touch Panel Si12T driver
NFC Module ST25R3916
Operation
1 W Speaker, AW88298 16-bit I2S Power Amplifier
12 x RGB LED WS2812C
Power/Reset Button
Power Indicator LED
Servos
1 x 360° Horizontal Continuous Rotation
1 x 90° Vertical Rotation
Power
550 mAh Battery
USB-C
Power Management IC AXP2101, RTC BM8563
Product Size
54.0 x 70.5 x