iPhone iRobot control

A while back we showed an iPhone being used to control some remote control planes through MobileSafari. Now some researchers at the University of South Florida have taken the idea to the next step with a native iPhone application to control an iRobot PackBot. As the above video demonstrates, the iPhone not only allows them to direct the PackBot, but even displays video from the robot's on-board camera. The iPhone connects directly to the PackBot via wifi and does not require a proxy machine or even an access point.

Apparently the next step is to use the iPhone's accelerometers to control the movement by tilting, with video from the camera displayed full-screen. They're also going to use touch controls for zooming and panning the video. It's a cool proof of concept; somehow, though, I don't think this one will be appearing on the App Store anytime soon.

[via Engadget]

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