In our last post about the Top 10 Android Hardware Interface Tools, we have already been concentrating too much on the low-speed high-delay Bluetooth connectivity; we have also been hacking too hard (the ROM or the Android Debug Bridge) to ask the little micro USB port to give us serial Rx/Tx and prepared some Android libraries to avoid programming the microcontrollers; we have even been dying to get some low rate serial characters or PWM signals through the poor 3.5mm audio jack on the phone.

What haven't we tried? Due to the seemingly high-price issue, we haven't tried much those WiFi modules or dongles. But finally we ask: why not! WiFi means easier configuration (UDP/TCP/WiFi direct), secured connection, NO annoying cables, high speed data transmission (video streaming possible), smoother control (less delay), and the Internet of things.

What are the possible WiFi connection modes with an Android phone? The DIY Phone Gadgets community has drawn such a conclusion so far:

1.    Classic mode: WiFi router+Android+external WiFi device:

Thanks to the router, the Android device has full Internet connection, and can control multiple external WiFi devices within this local network. The inconvenience is that the LAN is not mobile (limited by the router's WiFi range).

Sample application or ideas:

Well, we haven’t seen something using WiFi and Android but we would love to test those good-looking arduino-compatible WiFi boards and shields very soon.

DomoticHome uses Android, Arduino and an Ethernet shield to provide simple home automation protocol. Based on that, it is hyper-easy to use WiFi shields to quickly realize the same thing. To port the project using a WiFi shield, we don’t even have to change anything on the Android side. Here is how it works:

2.    Ad Hoc P2P mode: Android+WiFi device, without WiFi router, where there are two types :

a) P2P Android Client mode:

The external device is the AP. The Android device is the client.

Sample application or ideas:

The AR Drone from Parrot. The AR Drone mother board is a WiFi AP.

b) P2P Android AP mode:

The Android device is the AP and the external WiFi device is the client.

Sample application or ideas:

There is no mature application of this type now in the market. But we do see pretty much potential. Unlike the P2P type A that is limited to be connected to one AP, the Android AP can control multiple external WiFi client devices. Shown in the Open World Forum 2011 in Paris, Yan’s “Chicken Haha Telepresence Robot” is the first prototype based on P2P WiFi Android AP solution. Multiple android devices can control multiple robots and get live video feedback, without needing a router.

FAQs: 

In P2P Ad Hoc mode, do we still have Internet access?

Nowadays, each Android device has only one WiFi module. Once configured to work in Ad Hoc P2P Android client mode, the phone will no longer have internet access unless the external AP can provide an Internet content (which is difficult). In P2P Android AP mode, more luckily, the Android device will have Internet access if it has a 3G connection.

How to enable Android WiFi tethering hotspot AP?

You don’t have to root the phone. The WiFi tethering hotspot (AP) is natively supported on Android 2.2 Froyo or above. One interesting thing that we noticed is that on all Android devices we have tested so far, the IP address of the Android AP is always 192.168.43.1. That makes it so easy to develop client applications without considering the server's IP address. What's more, we can even programmatically enable tethering mode and define the AP name in the Android code. It needs some hack because one of the pains to develop P2P Adhoc applications is that Android SDK doesn't provide explicit APIs to configure the network). In our next post, we will give you a tutorial to enable and configure P2P AP mode, both manually and programmatically.

These tools and solutions are among the most popular ways to interface an Android device with the physical/eletronics/mechanic world. But sure, you can help us to include more if you see something else:)

1. Bluetooth module+Arduino+Android Application from Cellbots :
http://code.google.com/p/cellbots/

2. IOIO for Android:
http://ytai-mer.blogspot.com/2011/04/meet-ioio-io-for-android.html

3. Arduino + USB Host Shield from Microbridge project:
http://code.google.com/p/microbridge/

4. PIC24 board from Microbridge PIC project:
http://code.google.com/p/microbridge-pic/

5. Google ADK (Android Open Accessory Development Kit):
http://developer.android.com/guide/topics/usb/adk.html

6. Chicken Haha Android Serial Connector:
http://www.chickenhaha.com/product.php?id_product=11

7. 3.5mm Stereo Audio Cable from TRRSTAN cellphone robot:
http://www.allthingsgeek.com/

8. Bluetooth+Arduino+Android Library from Amarino:
http://www.amarino-toolkit.net/

9. The PhoneDrone Board (Android to PPM RC interface board from DIY
Drones):
http://diydrones.com/profiles/blogs/new-diy-drones-product-preview

10. Android ADK with a standard Arduino Uno and USB Host Shield:
http://marioboehmer.blogspot.com/2011/05/android-adk-with-standard-arduino-uno.html

11. Native USB host support (Android 3.1 or above) to control simple USB peripherals:
http://developer.android.com/guide/topics/usb/host.html

12. IOIO+WiFi dongle. It's a project at its very beginning. IOIO's creator Ytai has just finished adding Bluetooth to IOIO, and expecting experienced people helping him writing WiFi dongle drivers. Please contact him if you have a clue.

13. Android+Raspberry Pi+WiFi dongle. Well this is just our dream,  as it will be available in late November 2011. It's really amazing that this tiny pen-sized Linux PC costs only 25 US dollars and it runs Ubuntu! The combination of Raspberry Pi's size, price and performance makes it the best candidate of our DIY gadget brain, providing diverse interactions with Android. We will definitely have a try:
http://www.raspberrypi.org

14. The Electric Sheep board from Sparkfun, a development tool (similar to the Arduino Mega ADK) for creating custom Android accessories.
http://www.sparkfun.com/products/10745

Many IOIO board owners are excited about today's official release of bluetooth dongle support. As its creator Ytai told us, with a firmware upgrade on the IOIO, it now supports connecting a standard Bluetooth dongle into its USB jack and is able to establish its connection to the Android phone wirelessly. This actually makes IOIO one of the cheapest, simplest and most powerful Bluetooth-enabled prototyping platforms out there. And some more good news: your application code stays exactly the same. End-users should care about what they want to do with their hardware for their project, not about how the heck (or how the hack) to communicate with it. So you only need to write the application-specific code (the source code for the application takes less than 30 lines of Java for the IOIO-related stuff), and it seamlessly works on any kind of connection and can even switch from one to another while running. The closest one probably being Amarino. Keep in mind that IOIO is also capable of USB connectivity to Android of course (ADB or OpenAccessory), giving superior reliability latency and bandwidth compared to Bluetooth. You do the comparison.

Links to get started:

More information (and the instructional video) can be found here.
IOIO can be purchased from SparkFun (about $50) here.
The cheapest ($1.80 incl. shipping) Bluetooth dongle found and tested is here.
Questions are happily answered on the ioio-users discussion group.

We all know that Google announced in May 2011 a brand new Android Open Accessory standard. With the arduino-friendly ADK board and some Android APIs you can add any accessory or external hardware to your Android phone or tablets (Android 2.3.4 or above).

Please visit Google's official site for more details on how to add accessories to your Android devices: http://developer.android.com/guide/topics/usb/adk.html

That's a lot of text! Before diving into the boring code, many people would like to have a quick demo or test with their own phones. You just need to buy an ADK board and download this standard ADK DemoKit Application from Android market.The application is 100% compatible with the standard Google ADK DemoKit and is recompiled by the DIY Phone Gadgets community for easy tests:


Download ADK DemoKit From Android Market

If the pieces of software you download and use on your smartphone are called "apps", then why not make some "hardware apps"?

Yes, they are called DIY Phone Gadgets.

Here is the home for everything about DIY hardware gadgets integrating your Android phone or other mobile devices.

Come join us if you are one of the:

1. Hardcore Android developers
2. Microcontroller fans: Arduino, IOIO and PIC in particular
3. DIYers of electronic gadgets: RC drones, helicopters, cars, robots or other toys
4. High-tech geeks
5. Raspberry Pi, Beagle Board users
6. Wireless connection or remote control lovers: WiFi, bluetooth and infrared
7. USB experts: USB host, USB device, USB OTG, USB dongles...
8. Domotic life and home automation lovers.

If you used to be wowing at those intelligent cool gadgets such as a cellphone controlled video-streaming RC vehicle, helicopter or drone, a voice-controlled electric fan, or an intelligent washing machine, a home-made NFC coffee distributor, it is time to make your own.

We hope that you will find something useful here to build your dream gadgets and be able to share your exciting experience with others. Have fun!

The PlanetSolar Catamaran is a multi-hull made of carbon-fiber composites and covered with over 5,300 square feet of photovoltaic solar panels comprising 38,000 of SunPower's solar cells capable of an impressive 22 percent efficiency.

Despite its impressive dimensions (30 meters long by 16 meters wide) and the lack of any sailing rigs, the ship looks definitely majestic on water. Behind the beauty of his silhouette hides the cutting edge technology designed by the firm MW-Line SA, which is known for her Aquarels boats on Lake Geneva or the catamarans of Expo 02.

Sophisticated technology ensures that the futuristic-looking boat's batteries can charge even when some sunshine. The engineers of PlanetSolar take care of the drive, the performance of solar collectors and energy storage, the materials and the external environment. A power of 10 kW is sufficient to the ship at 10 knots (18.5 mph) to move forward. The size of the storage batteries below deck store enough energy for several days without direct sunlight.

Another innovative feature is the use of propellers that sit at the water line, half in the water and half out. This kind of prop, known as a "surface-piercing" propeller, can be much more efficient than traditional propellers, because it prevents the blades of the propeller from interfering with one another as they push through the water, and reduces drag during the time spent out of the water.





This type of vessel appears like the ideal solution for the future. Thanks to the high efficiency of PlanetSolar's cells, they're expecting to achieve a fast journey around the world without a stop in just 80 days, which the team believe will help promote environmental conciousness. "Today, the boat is the most used means of transport of goods," the team writes. "It represents single-handedly almost 1.4 billions of tons of carbon dioxide (in 2008), that is 6% of the total carbon dioxide emissions and twice more than the air transport."

The ship in numbers:

Length: 30 meters
Width: 16 meters
Weight: 10 tons
Surface of solar collectors: 180 m2
Performance of the solar installation: 30 kW
Average speed: 10 knots, or 18.5 km / h
Maximum speed: 15 knots or 27 km / h
Capacity: 12 People
Pilot cabin: 6,50 m above the water
Cost: $24 million

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More Info:

PlanetSolar

Case Postale 70
CH-2009 Neuchâtel
Post Konto: 17-450479-6
Contact: info@planetsolar.org
Partner: partenaires@planetsolar.org
Press: press@planetsolar.org
Web: http://www.planetsolar.org/

MARS is a lighter-than-air tethered wind turbine that rotates about a horizontal axis in response to wind, generating electrical energy. This electrical energy is transferred down the 1000-foot tether for immediate use, or to a set of batteries for later use, or to the power grid. Helium sustains MARS and allows it to ascend to a higher altitude than traditional wind turbines. MARS captures the energy available in the 600 to 1000-foot low level and nocturnal jet streams that exist almost everywhere. MARS rotation also generates the "Magnus effect" which provides additional lift, keeps the MARS stabilized, and positions it within a very controlled and restricted location to adhere to FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) & Transport Canada guidelines.

Magenn Power draws on over 31 years of research and development in advance materials and structure. It all began with designing the Magnus Spherical Airship starting in 1978. Fred Ferguson (founder of Magenn Power) patented the Magnus Airship in the 1980s. This unique airship utilized the Magnus effect for the first time in lighter-than-air craft. This Magnus Airship was a large spherical envelope filled with helium to achieve static, buoyant lift. As the sphere rotated during forward motion, Magnus lift was generated proportional to the airspeed flowing over the sphere; the faster the vehicle, the higher the Magnus lift.

The huge sphere rotated backwards as the craft flew forward. The resulting lift at cruise speed was greater than the total buoyant lift which could be up to 60 tons payload depending upon the final production size. As wind speed increases, rotation increases, lift increases, drag will be minimized because of reduced leaning, and stability increases. This airship design was fully patented world-wide and was developed over a decade.

In the early 1990's, Fred Ferguson then formed Av-Intel Inc., a small private company with a group of prominent financiers from US industry. The new Av-Intel airships encompass an advanced new technology that divides the long cigar-shaped airship into sections or segments that act similar to a huge shock absorber. In simulation studies contracted to the Lockheed Advanced Development Corporation, Av-Intel's design proved to exceed the current requirements for safety and gust loading by a broad positive margin.

In April of 2008, Magenn Power made history by having the world's first rotating airship. This MARS Alpha prototype generated 2kW of electrical power; further testing is being done to bring the power output to 10 to 12 kW. (Size of MARS above is 29.5 feet by 57 feet).

The device rotates about a horizontal axis in response to wind, efficiently generating clean renewable electrical energy at a lower cost than all competing systems. This electrical energy is transferred down the tether to a transformer at a ground station and then transferred to the electricity power grid. Helium (an inert non-reactive lighter than air gas) sustains the Air Rotor which ascends to an altitude for best winds and its rotation also causes the Magnus effect. This provides additional lift, keeps the device stabilized, keeps it positioned within a very controlled and restricted location, and causes it to pull up overhead rather than drift downwind on its tether.

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More Info:
www.magenn.com

The Constrained Ball is a drawing device created by Korean product designer Giha Woo.

This device is meant to help people draw straight line without using a ruler by applying a controlling wheel to the ball-pen that makes it roll in only one direction.

It also comes with a measurement gadget, that tells you in every moment how long is the line you have drawn, so you can draw it to the exact length you wish.

The mounting area is made with a flexible rubber material to provide the best tightness. In addition to  horizontal and vertical lines you can also easily draw 45 angled lines.

More Info:

• http://www.gihawoo.com/