To illustrate the power of Windows Mobile, Microsoft developer Brian Cross created WiMo, a robot with a smartphone brain.
Cross says he was motivated to create WiMo (pronounced "wee-moh") because he has always wanted to build robot, and it would give him an opportunity to show off some of the new Windows Mobile APIs (application programming interfaces) and use the Windows Mobile SDK (software development kit) in a "fun and unique way." The resulting WiMo design makes creative use of many of the features found in typical Windows Mobile smartphones, including the screen, speaker, camera, and connectivity options.
Meet WiMo -- the robot with a Windows Mobile brainWiMo's onboard smartphone "brain" communicates via Bluetooth, using the
Managed Bluetooth classes, with a microcontroller that runs the robot's motors. Additionally, the onboard smartphone also communicates via WiFi with a desktop or Pocket PC. Initially the Pocket PC's action pad was used to provide simple directional controls, but the most recent version uses Microsoft's
Robotics Studio to provide a higher level of functionality, according to Cross.
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WiMo "Agressor"
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The original WiMo (shown at right) used an OOpic microcontroller for its motor control. The latest version (pictured above) is based on the Lego Mindstorm NXT kit and its "brick" controller.
Cross has created a
WiMo website with detailed, illustrated instructions on building both the homebrew "Agressor" and the Mindstorm NXT versions, along with the Windows Mobile source code. This
Channel 9 video shows WiMo in action.
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"Nivek J D"
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Others are jumping on the WiMo bandwagon. Developer
Kevin Wolf built the "Nivek J D" shown here from a remote control tractor model. Students at MIT's
AutoID lab have built both the Agressor and NXT versions of WiMo, as potential hardware platforms for use in RFID scanning research.
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