It’s definitely fun to see the projects people manage to cook up with open source software and hardware.
Indeed, Android may be mostly known as the operating system powering various smartphones and tablets, but its open-source nature can be tapped for much more. For example, we’ve already seen Android powering small computers, PCs-on-sticks and even ski goggles. Recently, a new project surfaced that uses Mountain View’s mobile OS to power a remote-controlled car.
This is more than a basic remote control car, as it boasts an Android smartphone that allows the operator to move the camera around while it is attached to the vehicle. The operator of the remote-controlled vehicle uses another Android device with two virtual joysticks to control the direction and speed of the vehicle.
The left virtual joystick controls the pan and tilt of the remote mountain Android camera, while the right pilots the vehicle.
Basically, the connected Android device on the remote control vehicle aims to be more than the brains of the car, as it is connected to a servo. Ultimately, the developer says he hopes to be able to view streaming video in real-time within the same app used to control the car.
“I have recently had a good deal of success with my prototype, and I have decided that it is mature enough that I can share it with this community. I am looking forward to gaining input from more experienced developers. It has always been a goal of mine to either start my own open source project or a fork of another, and I believe this is the perfect opportunity to do so,” he added.
