Today, I’m going to show how easy it is to read data from an accessory to your android device. In this example, we are going to use a special kind of resistor whose resistance is dependent on the amount of light falling on its surface. It is called Light-Dependent-Resistor or LDR or also known [...]

Writing applications on Android is cool but writing applications on Android that can talk to the physical world is totally awesome. I recently bought a Seeduino ADK Board, which is actually a clone of an Arduino board that has support for the Android Accessory Development Kit. You can find more information about Seeduino here.

Over at Engineer Blogs, I found out about another cool project for connecting computers up with the real world—the IOIO (pronounced yo-yo):  An Interview with Ytai Ben-Tsvi, Inventor of the IOIO.

Basically, it is a $50 IO board for an Android phone, using either USB or Bluetooth connection, controllable with a Java API from an Android 1.5 or later device.  It has a PIC24F microcontroller providing 48 I/O pins, which have the usual sorts of capabilities (PWM, I2C, SPI, …).  You can use it in much the same way you would use an Arduino, except that you need an Android device to talk to it.

This is a plus and a minus, as the Android phones come with a fair amount of compute power and some powerful software (like face recognition software), but they cost a lot also, and you wouldn’t want to tie up your phone in a dedicated project (a $25 Arduino board is cheaper to embed than a phone and a $50 IOIO board).

I don’t think that the Android phone+IOIO is quite as exciting as the $35 Raspberry Pi if you need cell-phone-level compute power, but it looks like a good way to make cell-phone-controlled gadgets.

Sphero goes modular, spins out for a drive (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 19 Mar 2012 02:36:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

In Insert Coin, we look at an exciting new tech project that requires funding before it can hit production. If you'd like to pitch a project, please send us a tip with "Insert Coin" as the subject line.

Fallen out of love with sensor? Don't worry, Variable Technologies is here to help. The company's working to bring the world Node, a project aimed at helping smartphone users "explore the fun and power of sensors." The "Swiss Army knife-sized" modular device communicates with the iPhone 4S and Android devices via Bluetooth. It has a built-in accelerometer, magnetometer and gyroscope and can detect physical motion and space, temperature and elevation, to name but a few. It also has a game control module and eight LEDs that can double as a camera flash, with carbon monoxide and radiation detection on the way. The Node will be compatible with Arduino devices and will have an open API, firmware and source code. There's a month left to help Variable hit its lofty $50,000 goal. Click the source link for more info.

Continue reading Insert Coin: Node helps your smartphone monitor pretty much everything

Insert Coin: Node helps your smartphone monitor pretty much everything originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 23 Feb 2012 16:49:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Arduino hack gives a second screen to Android phones, isn't very useful (video)

Arduino hack gives a second screen to Android phones, isn't very useful (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 25 Jan 2012 09:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

iZac doesn't want to hear your sob stories. No, this Arduino-crafted bartender just wants to make cocktails, ordered through a tablet-based drinks menu. The bar patron can then place a glass on the digital scales, and iZac will measure out in the prescribed quantities necessary for the meatsack's choice of poison. The liquids are handled by aquarium pumps and laser-cut pinch valves, with accuracy to within one gram (0.035 ounces). Sadly, the bar bot's repertoire is limited by six bottles, arranged on two turntables. Risky drinkers can plump for the 'I'm Feeling Lucky' option, which creates a randomized drink of three (possibly identical) liquids. See how it all comes together in a loud, appropriately shady-looking bar after the break.

Continue reading Android-powered bar bot makes a mean Rob(ot) Roy (video)

Android-powered bar bot makes a mean Rob(ot) Roy (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 18 Nov 2011 18:18:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.