OpenBot Is a $50 Robot Chassis for Android Phones
Intel researchers combine capabilities of a smartphone with an inexpensive chassis for advanced robotic tasks.
According to Intel researchers Matthias Müller and Vladlen Koltun, today's robots “are either expensive or make significant compromises in sensory richness, computational power, and communication capabilities.” While high-end systems can easily cost as much as a luxury car, the smartphone that you may be reading this on right now contains an extensive array of sensors, vast computational power, and networking that would have been almost unimaginable 20 years ago.
The OpenBot leverages a modern smartphone's features with a low-cost, 3D-printed body and Arduino-based controller to create an advanced robotics platform for roughly $50. This, of course, doesn’t include the actual mobile device, but given this technology's constant state of advancement, they are very easy to obtain on the used market. This advancement also means that such a system can stay up-to-date with a new phone as needed, and software updates could be as simple as downloading the next app version.
The robot itself is a four-wheeled vehicle, with an Arduino Nano and two TI-DRV8871 motor drivers for control. The Nano is connected to an Android phone via USB serial for communication and power. Optical encoders provide the robot with odometer feedback, and a pair of LEDs are implemented to signal users. Trials so far have involved human following, along with autonomous navigation, both of which were successfully tested with a variety of phones.
More details on Müller and Koltun's work can be found in their paper titled “OpenBot: Turning Smartphones into Robots."