Scout
2 independent reviewsRead the findings →A palm-sized rolling camera you drive round your home from your phone. It suits tinkerers who want a cheap, programmable robot to experiment with. It's unreliable on patrols and docking, though, and support has largely dried up.
Updated
Check the manufacturer’s site for current availability.
Where it sits in Moorebot’s range
- ScoutThis model
- Scout (tracked version)The same Scout fitted with rubber tracks for grip
- Scout ETracked successor sold for indoor and outdoor monitoring
Feedback
What reviewers found
Two independent reviews count. Teach Kids Robotics tested Scout as a robotics kit in 2022, gave it 3.5/5 and called it more of an expensive high-tech toy than a good learning tool. We Speak IoT's writer backed it on Kickstarter and, looking back in 2025, found its navigation unreliable and development stalled. Another backer, The droid you are looking for, reported no mapping and frequent Wi-Fi drops, and later gave up on his because it overheated. All three liked the solid build and clever wheels. None found it dependable for keeping an eye on a home.
Teach Kids Robotics, hands-on, Aug 2022 (Judged as a robotics learning kit) · We Speak IoT, hands-on, Jun 2025 (Writer's own crowdfunded unit, looked back on after long use) · The droid you are looking for, hands-on, Mar 2022 (A backer's first impressions, followed by short blog updates)
What it really does
Reviewers found problemsIt falls short of the smart home sentry it was sold as. We Speak IoT found it has no real mapping, so scheduled patrols often failed and it missed its charger, and Teach Kids Robotics judged it more an expensive high-tech toy than a good learning tool.
Staying engaging
Mixed resultsTeach Kids Robotics found driving it around like a remote-control car fun, though that isn't much of a robotics kit. We Speak IoT's early excitement soon turned to disappointment as it kept getting lost.
Who it suits
Mixed resultsTeach Kids Robotics thinks it suits middle-school children and beginner programmers using Scratch, not advanced learners. We Speak IoT sees it as mainly one for tinkerers, who can get root access to its open-source software.
App, subscription and running costs
Not enough evidenceOnly Teach Kids Robotics judged the app, finding it easy to use once connected but awkward to link at first, and it makes you create an account. The cloud service is optional the specifications.
Privacy
Not enough evidenceNone of the reviews we use tested its privacy. Moorebot says video travels over a secured peer-to-peer link the specifications, which none of them has checked.
Build quality and battery life
Not enough evidenceOnly We Speak IoT judged the build, finding it mechanically solid, though its wheels slip on parquet and tiles. None of the reviews we use measured battery life.
Support and longevity
Reviewers found problemsWe Speak IoT found promised updates never arrived and the website mostly abandoned. Teach Kids Robotics found little help beyond the online manual and a small user community. Don't buy it expecting fixes.
Value
Not enough evidenceOnly Teach Kids Robotics weighed up its cost, calling it an expensive toy rather than a good learning tool. No other review we use judged value.
Verdicts come from independent, hands-on, finished reviews. An area needs at least two of them before we say more than “Not enough evidence”. We don't score robots ourselves. How this works
Patrols go astray without a map
We Speak IoT found Scout has no mapping at all and only stores a rough path. On parquet or tiles its wheels slip, the distances stop adding up, and it often misses its charger or strands itself in the living room. Scheduled patrols through several rooms often failed. The droid you are looking for also found it doesn't build a map, and that its wheels are slippery and loud on laminate. Moorebot now says a mapping feature is in its open-source release Moorebot, but none of the reviews we use has tried it. Treat Scout as a camera you drive yourself.
Fun to drive, grainy picture
Teach Kids Robotics drove Scout around from the app, took photos and set up patrol routes, and found treating it like a remote-controlled car fun. The camera resolution, though, left room for improvement. The droid you are looking for noticed a clear delay between tapping a command and Scout moving, and found the night vision didn't always switch on in low light. Owners on Moorebot's own page include one who drives it around to find the dog and check the house after an alarm.
Docking and Wi-Fi are hit and miss
The droid you are looking for found Wi-Fi dropped frequently and that docking worked only when Scout could see the pattern on its charger. On Moorebot's product page, one owner says their wheeled Scout docked about three times in four and the tracked version fails nine times out of ten. Another says it disconnects constantly on a mesh network. A third reports it docks every time. Expect to walk over and put it back on its charger now and then.
Setup takes patience
Scout arrives assembled, but Teach Kids Robotics had trouble getting the app to connect to it at first, and the app makes you create an account. The online manual covers the basics, but there's little help for programming it beyond the Scratch blocks in the app, and the user community is small. The reviewer thought it best for middle-school children or beginner programmers, not advanced learners.
Updates have dried up
We Speak IoT says promised updates, including mapping, never really arrived, the official website looks mostly abandoned and many accessories are sold out. In 2023 The droid you are looking for wrote that Pilot Labs had moved on, and that he'd stopped using his Scout because it overheated even while idle on its charger. On the plus side, We Speak IoT notes it runs open-source robot software, so advanced users can get root access and install their own. Don't buy it expecting fixes.
Teach Kids Robotics judged Scout as a learning kit. We Speak IoT's writer and The droid you are looking for both backed the Kickstarter and used their own units.
Our take
Should you buy the Scout?
Best for: Hobbyists who want to program and repair a small rolling camera. Skip it if: You need a dependable home security camera.
Scout only makes sense for a tinkerer who wants a cheap, programmable robot camera to experiment with and doesn't mind fixing things. As a home security camera or a set-and-forget patrol robot, it isn't dependable, and support has largely dried up. If you want a rolling camera to check on pets, Enabot's EBO X or EBO Air 2 Plus have had better reviews, though both still get stuck at times.
Scout is a small four-wheeled robot with a camera on the front, made by Pilot Labs under the Moorebot name and first crowdfunded on Kickstarter. Its special wheels let it drive sideways and spin on the spot. You steer it from the app to look around your home, with night vision and two-way audio, or set it to follow a patrol route and return to its charger. It works with Alexa and Google Home, and programmers can code it with Scratch or the open-source robot software it runs on. Moorebot has since released the Scout E, a tracked successor.
The trade-off is reliability. Scout doesn't map your home, so it follows a rough remembered path, and reviewers found it slips on smooth floors, misses its charger and gets lost. Wi-Fi drops and overheating come up too. The developer has gone quiet, updates have stalled, and Moorebot's store shows the original as sold out.
Where to buy
Where to buy the Scout in United States
No United States price checked in the last 21 days. We re-check daily.
We’re still looking for more United States retailers for this model.
Price-drop alert
Get an email when the Moorebot Scout gets cheaper in the US.
Before you buy
The questions people ask about this one
Does it need a subscription to keep working?
No. Moorebot lists its cloud service as optional the specifications, and Teach Kids Robotics drove it and set patrols through the app without one. The app does make you create an account before you can use the robot.
What does it record, and where does that go?
Scout has a 1080p camera with infrared night vision, a microphone and a speaker the specifications. Moorebot says video travels over a secured peer-to-peer link and that the robot only follows a pre-programmed path, with cloud alerts to your phone as an option. Nobody has independently checked those claims.
What happens if the company stops supporting it?
That seems to be where things stand already. We Speak IoT found updates stalled and the website mostly abandoned, and The droid you are looking for felt Pilot Labs had left backers behind. Because Scout runs open-source robot software, We Speak IoT notes skilled users can get root access and add their own software, but that's no help to most buyers.
Can it go outdoors?
No. Moorebot's specifications say Scout isn't waterproof, with an operating range of minus 10C to 40C the specifications. One owner on Moorebot's page claims theirs works outside in the rain, but we'd go with the specification. The tracked Scout E is the model Moorebot sells for outdoor use.
Is it any good for children learning to code?
For beginners, yes. Teach Kids Robotics found the Scratch programming in the app suits middle-school children and beginner programmers, but said there's little documentation or community help for anyone who wants to move on to a proper programming language.
Alternatives
Other companion robots to compare.
EBO X
Why consider it: A rolling home camera robot with a sharp 4K picture, Alexa built in and alerts for falls and crying.
The compromise: Reviewers found it gets stuck on rugs and thresholds, and the app can be hard work.
EBO Air 2 Plus
Why consider it: A small rolling camera with screen eyes for video calls and scheduled patrols, and its one full test liked its pet tracking.
The compromise: It still gets stuck and can't climb stairs.
Loona
Why consider it: A roaming robot pet that also lets you view your home remotely through its app, according to KEYi.
The compromise: No finished independent review yet, and one owner's ears and hip bearings needed repair.
Specs
Full specifications
Each specification names its source. Manufacturer claims are not independent test results; unconfirmed figures are labelled.
Owner reviews
Do you own the Scout?
Tell people how it’s held up: cleaning, maintenance, faults and support. Owner accounts are shown separately from independent reviews.
Sources
Where this page’s findings come from
Editorial reviews
- Teach Kids Robotics: Moorebot Scout Robot Kit Review ↗3.5/5Hands-on · Judged as a robotics learning kit
- We Speak IoT: What happened to the Moorebot Scout? ↗Hands-on · Writer's own crowdfunded unit, looked back on after long use
- The droid you are looking for: Moorebot Scout - first impressions ↗Hands-on · A backer's first impressions, followed by short blog updates (not counted towards our two-review minimum)
Sources
Videos
- Moorebot Robot: Scout Tutorial full ↗
- Explain You a Thing: Moorebot Scout Review ↗
- Primestronaut: Moorebot Scout vs Scout E what are the differences? ↗
- Search YouTube for Moorebot Scout ↗Search results may include company demonstrations or similar models. Check the source and model name; a demonstration is not an independent performance test.