Controlling IoT Devices with AllJoyn from Minecraft

Modern video games continue to push the limits of immersion. With the introduction of smart devices, integrating a simulated environment with the real world is becoming a possibility, even for hobbyists. Events triggered in a video game can be relayed to physical devices. One could turn on a laundry room appliance by pushing a button in your game. Or changes in the local weather can make it rain in the game. The possibilities are endless. 

This project explores controlling IoT (Internet of Things) devices such as lights and home appliances from Minecraft using a mod. Minecraft mods (short for modifications) are extensions that modify the game to add content, change the feel, or give more options to the game. With the increasing popularity of IoT standards such as AllJoyn, the extension to physical devices is easier than ever. We demonstrated some possibilities to the extension in this project.

Tech used

• AllJoyn as a standard application protocol to discover and control devices.
• OPTIONAL: AllJoyn DSB projects to add non-AllJoyn devices to AllJoyn network. For GE light bulb see ZigBee DSB tutorial.
• Java as programming language to interact with AllJoyn devices from Minecraft.
• Minecraft Forge as mechanism to package and integrate our mod with Minecraft.
• Minecraft PC version as an example video game.

Features

While playing Minecraft, with this mod running, you will see temperature and light level displayed in the upper-left corner.  The values change as you explore the world of Minecraft. 

If you have an AllJoyn light or an AllJoyn air-conditioned device connected to the same network, their properties will also change to create a game room atmosphere. 

Specifically:

• Brightness and Color of every AllJoyn LSF light bulbs changes as the game surrounding light goes darker or brighter.
• Temperature settings of AllJoyn Air-Condition device increases or decreases as the game weather or biome changes

Set up

1. This project requires Minecraft PC version.

2. To launch this Minecraft mod, Minecraft Forge is required. Follow the instructions on Forge website to setup.

3. If you are prompted to install Java runtime library, go ahead and install it.

4. After installing Forge, you need to download Minecraft AllJoyn Mod Binaries (alljoynMod-1.8-1.1.jar) in code section to your Minecraft folder. On Windows PC, it's %appdata%\.minecraft\mods. Follow the instructions to learn how to find your Minecraft mod folder.

5. You also need to download AllJoyn Core SDK and copy alljoyn_java.dll to a directory in your system %PATH%.

6. Finally, start Minecraft and change your profile to 'forge' in the bottom left corner of the start screen and proceed to play.

Helpful links:

Windows 10 + AllJoyn: Documentation explaining AllJoyn in deeper detail