Review GTUG-projects on GDD Moscow 2011

Hello!

Last Monday, Google Developer Day Moscow 2011 took place. In addition to a variety of interesting reports on modern development technologies, a separate section at the event was devoted to GTUG-team projects.

Unexpectedly for us, Google invited Amperka to take part in this event and provide support to some GTUG projects. That as a result it turned out, it is possible to read under a cat.

For those who do not know: GTUG (Google Technology User Group) is a combination of hackers (in the good sense of the word) in different cities of the world. Google provides such teams information and other support, and they in turn implement creative, non-standard projects on Google technologies.
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This year, a bunch of Android devices and the Arduino ADK with something else for getting unique and interesting gadgets were especially popular.

In brief about projects I will tell further.

Robowars

The project Robowars is presented by a team from Ufa (author - Gilyazitdinov Rafael irafa ). It turned out a fun floor game of two two-wheeled robots and an Android tablet.





Each of the robots has a hammer and a large button - a weak spot. 2 players play: each for their own robot. The goal of the game is to beat the opponent opponent on the button with your hammer and not to substitute yourself. Who is the first to score 4 points, that is well done.

The robots themselves are controlled from any Android device through a specially written client. Players in split screen mode are given a virtual mushroom joystick and a “Punch!” Button.

Communication with robots takes place via XBee modules . Schematically, iron is organized as follows:



The project turned out to be understandable and fun: even adult uncles in expensive costumes enjoyed beating an opponent in an improvised arena.

GDD Participants Counter

The project was implemented by the Moscow GTUG team together with Amperka. He decently patted all the nerves in preparation. Due to the lack of time, most of it was collected and tested fussily on the night before the event. Everything remained in a state of “almost working” until 11 am, despite the fact that the conference opened its doors at 9.

But the efforts were rewarded, and as a result a GTUG was installed before the entrance to the hall, a la Google+, a circle with an indicator of the number of registered guests. For handicrafts made from several sliced ​​pieces of LED strip, disassembled extender stale in one of the rooms of the Crocus and a handful of control electronics in the food container, everything looked more than decent. At the time of installation, not yet understanding what exactly the number means, many guests rushed to make photos on the background of the device.



Data on the number of visitors, the indicator took over HTTP from the reception desk located nearby. Schematically, the device looks like this:



In fact, as we later realized, most of the guests did not understand what this figure was for, and many of them stubbornly jumped on the circle in the hope of increasing the counter. We would have thought about this earlier, maybe we would have made a count of past guests in kilograms. It would be more fun.

Andruido Music Studio

The project is presented by a team from Almaty (leader - Jamshed Nasridinov). The bottom line is this: on the frame above are lasers, on the frame below are the response photoresistors. They form 8 laser strings. The frame is connected to the Android phone, where a sound sample is recorded for each of the strings.



Interrupting the beam causes the phone to play the corresponding sound. This unusual way you can make compositions. Only one sound bank was prepared for the demonstration: the 1st string - the word “one”, the 2nd string — the word “two”, etc. But even so, some of the guests extracted funny “musical pieces”.

Android interface for routers

A team from Ukraine Kyiv GTUG Center presented its project to simplify the configuration of network routers. Perhaps it was the least entertaining, but at the same time, the most useful and applied GTUG-project.



The bottom line is that technical providers of Internet providers are difficult to lug around with laptops in cramped basements. And to reconfigure the routers somehow needed. The authors of the project presented a solution based on Android and Arduino ADK, which allows you to replace the laptop with a compact box with a simple touch-interface.

Audio Visualizer ADK Led Matrix

Another project from Ukraine (the author is Alexey Zhurbitsky blo ) is an audio spectrum visualizer. Android plays an audio track, Arduino in Open Accessory mode controls a large LED matrix. All together - simple, but stylish looking audio-visual installation.

Tanchiki

And one more team from Ukraine, Donetsk (author - Roman Bogdzievich romeo_ordos ) presented a project game based on the Arduino ADK and the Android tablet. It controls Android on Arduino, and vice versa: the signal from self-made joysticks via Arduino is sent to the tablet.

One “mushroom” on the joystick is responsible for the guzzles, the other - for the tower. One button is set aside.

The task is simple - to shoot your opponent.

Award Winners Open Call

The winners of the Open Call competition received from Google on the latest set of “ Matryoshka Z ” based on Arduino Uno .



They became the very first of its users: at the time of handing the set, it was not even on the showcase in Amperk. Hope everyone liked them.

Here is such a GDD.