Hi Ray,
Just to confirm was this the Zumo you were looking at? https://core-electronics.com.au/pololu-zumo-32u4-robot-assembled-with-50-1-hp-motors.html
In short you’ll definitely be able to use the Pico if you were looking to do remedial tasks, i.e. run a state machine, that allows a robot to follow a line.
The difference between a microcontroller (Pico) and single board computer( Zero, a SBC) is what they are setup to do. A Zero is a fully fledged computer so its able to run a desktop environment, connect to the internet and run more involved tasks such as browse the web. The Pico on the otherhand is designed to do tasks that require precise timing, running a motor, reading sensors(both analog and digital).
They both have their place, but the lines are getting quite grey today, as microcontrollers become more powerful they can do the tasks that small computers can. See the ESP32 running basic webservers to control GPIO.
Liam.
