Wireless Robotics Platform: Cheap R/C Vehicle + Arduino + XBee + Processing

Wow. I definetly have to check this step by step guide to build your own Processing-controlled car.
Toy Hacking is one of the best way to learn how to deal with little hardware. Very well detailed.
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Some Features:

• All logic controlling the vehicle is performed in a Processing program running on remote computer. The Arduino program listens for commands from the remote computer.
• Bi-directional wireless communication over XBee radios with (theoretical) 1-mile range. I’ve accomplished 1/4 mile range with these radios.
• Sensor events are transmitted from the vehicle to the controlling computer. This vehicle has 3 microswitches – two on front bumper and one at the rear.
• Original circuitry of vehicle replaced with dual H-Bridge circuit to control drive motor and turn motor. Drive motor is controlled with variable speed.
• Power: Vehicle motors powered by 4 AA batteries. Arduino with XBee shield powered by 9V battery mounted at front of vehicle.
• Simple communications protocol: 2 byte commands from controller to vehicle, one byte sensor readings from vehicle to controller.

via [NootropicDesign]
Tag Technorati: arduino, Rc Cars, Xbee, Processing,

Babuinobot Project

Isn’t an Arduino visual programming tool for kids (and noobs) everybody’s dream?
Well, by reading this documentation. All you have to do is downloading the software and go through the instructions.

Loving these picture of youngsters interacting with PC & technologies

Via [BabuinoBot]
Tag Technorati: kids, arduino, babuino, robot,

Arduino Helicopter Game

Wow. Really interesting helicopter game with several nice feautures.

Specifications:

• just under 8kb (so it should fit a cheap Atmega-8)
• Speed and block size grow
• Still a little glitchy, weird artifacts, is anyone able to fix them?
• Day and Night mode, hold the button when game over for night mode, gentle press for day
• Score build in, post your highscore in the comments

To play:

• Connect a KS0108 LCD as described in the library’s page
• Connect a button with a pull-down resistor to pin 12
• Make sure the KS0108 library is available
• Upload the sketch
• Enjoy!

Download it here…

nice job Dave.
Via [Ardx] and [MAKE]

The Brushduino

From [CamelPunch] Steve is explaning his Brushduino project:
The Problem:
My daughters don’t brush their teeth long enough, if left to their own devices. When my wife or I brush their teeth, we do a nice thorough job that takes a little while but when the girls do it themselves, they tend to cut it short. Timing them doesn’t help, as they just stand there and chit-chat until the timer goes off. It’s not that they don’t brush their teeth LONG enough, it’s that they don’t brush their teeth WELL enough.

The Solution:


When you fire it up, it plays the opening bars of the Super Mario Brothers theme song while randomly flashing the white LED’s. Then it starts instructing on what area of the mouth to brush.
Each time a section of the mouth has been brushed sufficiently (stroke count was based on experimentation and dentist recommendations) a few more bars of the Super Mario Brothers theme song is played (along with light show) and then the next white LED starts flashing. It’s easier to see the pattern than it is to describe it. The section they’re supposed to be brushing at any point in time is blinking with the already-brushed portions of the mouth lit fully on.

Check the full post with the code!
Thanks Steve!
Tag Technorati: Brushduino, kids, arduino, toothbrushes, home,

i-SOBOT + Arduino

Hack of an i-SOBOT with Arduino. Many info (not only in japanese) and a shield for Arduino + GUI for Mac
via [ogutti.sakura.ne]
Tag Technorati: I-sobor, arduino, shield, japan, GUI, Mac