After weeks of development, testing and integration, I'm introducing Urban Lab โ an open-source project exploring the intersection of smart mobility, robotics, AI and privacy-focused payments.
The project brings together several experimental components:
- ๐ด Smart electric scooters
- ๐ Electric mobility concepts
- ๐ค Service robotics
- ๐ฉบ Assistive robotics research
- ๐ Monero-based escrow experiments
- ๐ฐ MYZ community rewards
- ๐ง AI integrations
- ๐ Open-source hardware and software
The idea is simple:
Build mobility and robotics infrastructure that people can understand, modify and contribute to.
๐ง The Vision
Urban Lab explores a model where sustainable mobility and assistive technology can become more open and accessible.
The project aims to make it possible to:
- Build open hardware
- Modify and repair devices
- Develop custom software
- Experiment with privacy-focused payments
- Contribute code and documentation
- Build new robotic applications
- Create local Urban Lab communities
This is an ongoing experiment, not a finished commercial platform.
๐ด Smart Scooter
The Urban Lab hardware project explores a smart electric scooter platform with:
- GPS
- embedded sensors
- remote-control capabilities
- telemetry
- ESP32 / Arduino-based electronics
- optional AI integrations
- open hardware documentation
Hardware repository:
https://github.com/DanielIoni-creator/urban-lab-hardware
Example development configuration:
| Component | Target |
|---|---|
| Motor | Brushless ~800W |
| Battery | LiFePO4 48V 20Ah |
| Target range | ~40โ60 km |
| Target speed | ~25 km/h |
| Sensors | GPS, accelerometer, gyroscope |
These are development specifications and are not a certification for road use. Any real-world vehicle requires appropriate engineering, safety testing and regulatory compliance.
๐ Electric Mobility
The same open-source principles can be extended beyond scooters.
The Urban Lab ecosystem also explores an electric vehicle platform:
https://github.com/DanielIoni-creator/urban-lab-auto
The objective is to investigate how open hardware, embedded software and decentralized services could work together across different forms of mobility.
๐ Monero Escrow
One of the most interesting technical experiments is the integration of Monero-based escrow workflows.
The application architecture uses a 2-of-3 authorization model:
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โ ESCROW โ
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The intended workflow is:
Buyer and seller agree on a service.
An escrow record is created.
Participants authorize the transaction.
The configured threshold is reached.
The release workflow is executed.
The escrow API is being developed in:
https://github.com/DanielIoni-creator/I-ECO-01
For development, testing is performed with simulated data and/or Monero Stagenet where applicable.
โ ๏ธ This is experimental infrastructure. Application-level escrow records should not be confused with confirmed on-chain transactions. Do not use the current system for significant real funds without an independent security review.
๐ฐ MYZ Community Rewards
Urban Lab also experiments with a community reward system called MYZ.
The idea is to create incentives for activities such as:
testing;
development;
documentation;
bug reports;
community participation;
mobility experiments.
A possible reward model could look like:
Activity Example reward
Scooter trip 0.2 MYZ / km
Vehicle milestone 10โ50 MYZ
Bug report 5 MYZ
Documentation contribution Variable
Development bounty Variable
These numbers are experimental configuration examples and should not be interpreted as guaranteed financial returns.
๐ GitHub Bounties
Open-source projects depend on contributors.
Urban Lab is experimenting with GitHub-based bounty workflows where contributors can work on predefined tasks and receive MYZ rewards when contributions are accepted.
Example:
GitHub Issue
โ
โผ
Contributor
โ
โผ
Pull Request
โ
โผ
Code Review
โ
โผ
Accepted
โ
โผ
Reward
The backend and community infrastructure are being developed through the MyZubster ecosystem:
https://github.com/MyZubster-Ecosystem/myzubster
๐ค Robotics
Urban Lab also explores several robotic concepts.
๐ง Pytho
An AI-oriented assistant designed to interact with software services and help automate workflows.
Potential applications include:
API interaction
planning
automation
monitoring
user assistance
๐ฑ EVA IONI
An experimental urban-gardening robotics concept focused on:
environmental monitoring;
soil measurements;
temperature;
humidity;
automation.
๐งน CleanStreetBot
A concept for autonomous or semi-autonomous urban cleaning.
Possible capabilities include:
detecting waste;
collecting waste;
reporting areas requiring cleaning;
telemetry.
๐ง AssemblyBot
An experimental robotic assembly platform designed to investigate automation for hardware production and assembly workflows.
๐ฉบ Assistive Robotics Research
Urban Lab also explores concepts such as:
MedBot
CogniBot
EmergiBot
AdminBot
These projects are research and development concepts, not certified medical devices.
For example, future prototypes could explore:
MedBot
Monitoring non-critical sensor data and assisting with routine workflows.
CogniBot
Conversational interaction and entertainment.
EmergiBot
Detection and notification workflows for predefined events.
AdminBot
Appointments, reminders and administrative assistance.
Any system involving medical care, medication administration, emergency response or patient monitoring would require substantial additional safety engineering, clinical validation, regulatory approval and human oversight before real-world deployment.
๐ ๏ธ Technology Stack
The ecosystem currently explores technologies including:
Area Technologies
Backend Node.js, Express, MongoDB
Blockchain Monero RPC, multisig experiments
Hardware ESP32, Raspberry Pi, Arduino
Sensors GPS, accelerometer, environmental sensors
AI OpenAI API, DeepSeek API
Frontend HTML, JavaScript, React/Vite
Robotics Motors, servos, embedded controllers
Development GitHub, REST APIs, WebSockets
The architecture is modular so individual components can evolve independently.
๐ฆ Open Source
The project aims to keep hardware, software and documentation as open as possible.
Main repositories include:
๐ด Urban Lab Hardware
https://github.com/DanielIoni-creator/urban-lab-hardware
๐ Urban Lab Auto
https://github.com/DanielIoni-creator/urban-lab-auto
๐ค Urban Lab Robotics
https://github.com/DanielIoni-creator/urban-lab-robot
๐ฉบ Urban Lab Nurse Robotics
https://github.com/DanielIoni-creator/urban-lab-nurse
๐ MyZubster
https://github.com/MyZubster-Ecosystem/myzubster
๐ I-ECO-01
https://github.com/DanielIoni-creator/I-ECO-01
๐งช Current Status
The project is actively evolving.
Current development areas include:
โ
Open-source repositories
๐งช Monero escrow experiments
๐งช Stagenet testing
๐งช MYZ reward infrastructure
๐งช GitHub bounty automation
๐งช Robotics prototypes
๐งช AI integrations
๐ง Hardware development
๐ง MyZubster integration
Some components are prototypes or simulations rather than production-ready services.
That's intentional.
The goal is to build, test, document and improve each component before considering wider deployment.
๐ Monitoring
Urban Lab also includes development dashboards for monitoring application activity.
Depending on the deployment, dashboards can expose information such as:
escrow status;
pending operations;
completed operations;
simulated transaction volume;
system events;
API activity.
Production deployments would require proper authentication, HTTPS, authorization, monitoring and security controls.
๐ What's Next?
The roadmap includes:
1. Hardware
Improve mechanical designs, electronics and assembly documentation.
2. Embedded systems
Continue developing GPS, telemetry and connectivity.
3. Monero
Continue testing escrow workflows on Stagenet.
4. Security
Improve authentication, authorization and key-management architecture.
5. Robotics
Build and test additional prototypes.
6. Community
Open more GitHub issues and development bounties.
7. Real-world testing
Move carefully from simulation to controlled real-world testing.
๐ Why Build in Public?
Because open-source development works best when people can inspect the work.
Instead of saying:
"Trust us."
We want the code, documentation and experiments to be available for people to examine.
You can:
read the code;
open an issue;
suggest an improvement;
submit a pull request;
test the software;
build your own prototype.
๐ Conclusion
Urban Lab is an experiment at the intersection of:
๐ด Mobility
๐ค Robotics
๐ง AI
๐ Monero
๐ง Open Hardware
๐ Open Source
We're still building.
We're still testing.
And we're sharing the process publicly.
If you're interested in open hardware, Monero, robotics, IoT, AI or decentralized infrastructure, check out the repositories and join the development.
Build it. Test it. Improve it.
๐ด๐๐ค๐๐
Daniel Ioni โ Urban Lab
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