Brainlink your Android for complete control over robots and toys

Very often, advancement and evolution imply greater control. And when it comes to robotics, the latest advancement in the manufacture of controllers by BirdBrain Technologies has resulted in the Brainlink which helps to link robots and other IR devices to Android phones! Thus, it is a one step procedure to convert your toys and robots into Android apps! Your Roomba or Robosapien thus gets a 100 percent IQ upgrade. Cool isn't it?

Brainlink

The Brainlink controller gets attached to the robot or Robosapien. It then relays signals to the robot through its infra-red detector. Once this signal-relaying mechanism has been established, it is only a matter of ensuring that you have an app on your Android for whatever command is necessary! For example, if there is a proximity sensor, then the robot can be taught to avoid colliding into walls and other obstructions in the way. That is already a few notches up in the intelligence department as far as the robot is concerned.

If you are able to install the object-recognition app, the you could utilize your robot to fetch anything from your beer mug and fishing rod to your briefcase and laptop. The good news is that the library of apps and tools available for the Brainlink controller is growing and soon we may be able to have the perfect robot helper! All this becomes possible because the controller has been designed with a light sensor and an accelerometer. It also has provisions and ports to add other sensors which offer different capabilities.

The communication between the controller and your phone takes place through the Bluetooth connection. The range is an impressive 30 feet and it works as well with Mac, Linux, Windows along with the Android. But please do not make the mistake of assuming that the Brainlink controller holds good only for robots! Though it was originally made keeping robots in mind, it has a host of other functions as well.

For instance, you could control the television or your digital radio through your voice via the Brainlink controller. In the same manner, you could convert your Android phone into a remote for either of them. All in all, we have to give the thumbs up for BirdBrain Technologies, a spinoff from CMU, for the creation of an ingenious controller.

The target audience for the product are home hackers and those in the educational or research fields. While the former will be thrilled at the amazing capabilities and promise that the controller holds, the latter will surely find it as an enriching addition to their electrical engineering and computer science classes. The product is available in the market for $125.

Well, you could love the product saying that it makes life easy or hate it saying that it makes you lazy. But one thing is for sure, you simply cannot ignore it!

Via: CNet