PhoneRobot

The PhoneRobot is a mobile phone with two wheels and advanced Android software to drive and balance the entire device, it’s the “inverted pendulum” – problem. It’s like balancing a stick in your hand or in this case more like a pen. The phone controls engine/wheels through a Bluetooth connection. The PhoneRobot is remotely controlled through WiFi from another phone, tablet or PC.

It started as a project to get my kids interested in technologies, however when they discussed the challenge it was more in terms “I bet this will never work”. And they were right, at the time the Android Phone had no gyro-sensor. A year later, in beginning 2012, the phone got a gyro and better accelerometers - it worked as you can see in the video.

The project has also been run within miThings and as a cooperation project through the Lund University Demola setup to further improve the technical solution as well as develop the use-case.

Right now the concept is further developed involving HW-development with Arduino as a base for motor control and charging. / Knut