Grok Swarm: Master Budget & Build Plan

Fund in this orderCombined Priority Order

#	Item	Cost	Running total	% of LOC
1	Robot Stage 1: talking dome head	$70	$70	0%
2	Companion drone Stage 1	$155	$225	1%
3	Robot Stage 2: wheels	$271	$496	2%
4	7-inch airframe: GPS drone Stages 1-2 + Scout role	$626	$1,122	5%
5	Printer: X2D (the one printer to buy)	$899	$2,021	10%
6	Robot Stage 3: torso + dome	$124	$2,145	10%
7	Robot Stage 4: keep-alive	$161	$2,306	11%
8	Scout Stages 2-3	$138	$2,444	12%
9	Companion drone Stage 2	$450	$2,894	14%
10	Robot Stage 5: bus-servo arms and upgrades	$640	$3,534	17%
11	Optional: robot cellular + structural pack	$285	$3,819	18%
12	Optional: drone cellular, brain battery, Scout Stage 4	$170	$3,989	19%
13	Optional: thermal camera	$249	$4,238	20%
14	Optional: S500 frame + companion Stage 3	$675	$4,913	23%
15	Mini sub Stage 1 (lowest priority)	$275	$5,188	25%
16	Mini sub Stage 2 (lowest priority)	$435	$5,623	27%
	Total, all projects		$5,623	27%

Cash rule: Fund one item, use it, then fund the next. Stop at any line. The first four items ($1,122) give a talking droid, a flying companion and an autonomous GPS/Scout drone. Prices are estimates.

Project 1 · Starts at $70Robot Body: R2-D3 Dome Droid

An R2-D3 style droid with a dome head and upgradable hobby-servo arms. The Raspberry Pi 4B and 10-inch touchscreen Max already owns are the brain and face from day one.

**Concept render.** The R2-D3 style droid with dome head, hobby-servo arms and blue drive base.

**Concept render.** Robot body on the workbench with its stage-by-stage parts.

$70

Stage 1: Talking dome head

Pi 4B + 10-inch touchscreen as face and brain, USB mic and speaker, dome shell. Talks with Grok.

Running total $70

$271

Stage 2: Wheels

R2-style drive base with motors, driver, ESP32-S3 controller and main pack. It drives.

Running total $341

$124

Stage 3: Torso + pan-tilt dome

Barrel body, rotating dome with camera, hobby-servo arms (MG996R class). It looks and points.

Running total $465

$161

Stage 4: Keep-alive power

X1200 UPS hot-swap keep-alive so the brain stays on during battery swaps. Pi 5 is an optional later upgrade; the Pi 4 stays the brain.

Running total $626

$640

Stage 5: Nicer upgrades

Arm upgrade path: hobby servos to serial bus servos (Feetech STS or Dynamixel class) with position feedback, plus better grippers.

Running total $1,266

Arm upgrade path

Stage 3 starts with cheap MG996R-class hobby servos. Stage 5 swaps in serial bus servos (Feetech STS or Dynamixel class) with position feedback and better grippers. Same mounts, same brain.

Add-ons

+$90

Cellular LTE + video

SIM7600 LTE module so Max can see and talk through the robot from anywhere.

+$195

Structural pouch-cell pack

A123 pouch cells in a compression frame that double as structure.

Projects 2–4Drones: Companion, GPS & Scout

Companion drone 2nd priority · $155

**Concept render.** Stage 1 companion: a small ducted camera drone that streams video back.

**Concept render.** Pi 4B + 10-inch touchscreen ground station where Grok sees and talks.

$155

Stage 1: Fly and talk

BetaFPV Cetus Lite kit + USB video receiver on the Pi 4 touchscreen. Grok sees what the drone sees.

Running total $155

$450

Stage 2: Mic, speaker, GPS return-home

The drone hears and speaks. Needs FAA registration and Remote ID.

Running total $605

$300

Stage 3: Becomes the Scout

Autonomous missions, geofence, onboard recording.

Running total $905

GPS drone (7-inch / S500)

**Concept render.** 7-inch GPS drone with quick-swap bottom battery (XT60/XT90).

**Concept render.** Optional S500 big-frame version with camera gimbal.

$454

Stage 1: GPS flyer (7-inch)

ArduPilot GPS drone on the shared 7-inch airframe.

Running total $454

$95

Stage 2: Upgrades

Quick-swap XT60/XT90 battery and refinements.

Running total $549

$375

Stage 3: S500 big frame (optional)

Larger S500 frame for heavier payloads.

Running total $924

Scout drone: “Your AI Carrier Pigeon”

**Concept render.** Grok Scout flying an autonomous mission at sunset. Fully autonomous, no RC piloting.

$436

Stage 1: Autonomous flyer

Companion computer, waypoints, return-to-launch, geofence. No RC piloting.

Running total $436

$58

Stage 2

Recording and mission upgrades.

Running total $494

$80

Stage 3

Further mission upgrades.

Running total $574

$75

Stage 4 (optional)

Optional extras.

Running total $649

Drone add-ons

+$50

Cellular alerts

Companion or Scout texts mid-mission.

+$45

Brain hot-swap battery

Electronics stay on during motor-pack swaps.

+$249

Thermal camera

Scout night and heat-spot missions.

Shared parts, counted once: One 7-inch airframe serves both the GPS drone and the Scout: $549 + $77 = $626 for both roles. Also shared: the Pi 4 + touchscreen, the $55 6S charger, Remote ID and the ELRS radio.

Capital purchasesGantry No.1 3D Printers

One printer, one line item: the X2D. Buy one printer, not both.

~$899

X2D

The one printer to buy. It does everything: big structural parts like gantry rails and brackets, plus gripper fingers and sensor mounts, with dual nozzles for engineering filaments and support material.

P1S Combo (~$549): the budget alternative if cash gets tighter (the Chevy 350 option), smaller and single-nozzle; buy one printer, not both.

Depreciation and tax treatment are a separate conversation.

Project 5 · Last & optionalGrok Mini Sub ~$710 total

A tethered underwater camera ROV driven from the Pi 4 and touchscreen on the dock. Lowest priority; funded last.

**Concept render.** Mini sub ROV exploring the shallows.

**Concept render.** Dockside station: Pi 4B, 10-inch screen, tether reel and battery.

**Concept render.** Stage 2 sub with sealed enclosure and dive lights.

$275

Stage 1: Shallow camera ROV

Three cheap thrusters, 15 m waterproof endoscope camera, PVC frame, 12 V LiFePO4 battery on the dock. Pool or lake shallows.

Running total $275

$435

Stage 2: Depth and capability

Blue Robotics sealed enclosure, Bar02 depth sensor, compass/tilt sensor, fourth thruster, dive lights.

Running total $710

Optional beyond the $710

+~$245

Stage 3 add-ons

Pick from sonar, a gripper and water-quality probes.

+~$555

Pro path

Blue Robotics T200 thrusters and Fathom-X tether link.

**Vendor photo.** Blue Robotics Bar-series depth sensor hardware (Stage 2).

Already ownedTools on Hand

Item	Role
Raspberry Pi 4B	Brain for the robot and the drone and sub ground stations
10-inch touchscreen	Robot face and operator panel
10-inch mountable display	Future trailer, truck or fixed ground station
Soldering gear	All builds
~$500 low-wattage 2D laser etcher	Free tool he already owns, for engraving labels and mounts only. Not a budget line item.