Purpose of the Arduino "ADK"?

Well, they key difference is that it has USB host. This means that you can make Android 'Accessories' with it. For example, I have made a Geiger Counter accessor and when I plug a suitably equipped Android phone into it, it automatiocally launches an Android Geiger Counter App - even showing you the download URL if it is not installed. It'll then click away merrily and show you the counts per second.

As a standard, adopted by Google, it should mean that manufacturers start making dockable Arduino based accessories to plug into your phone.

I am giving a talk on this subject at Android Open in San Francisco next month.

Also this is a good opportunity to plug my new book: Arduino + ANdroid Projects for the Evil Genius by Simon Monk. Out December 2011

Thanks for the reply.

So to clarify, the advantage of the USB host is essentially that it allows for the Android device to designate it as an 'accessory' which allows some additional functionality (e.g. automatically launching an app). Blue Tooth paired devices cannot do this, I presume?

I just see so much more flexibility with OTA communication... a USB umbilical cord seems so out-dated...

That's a good point about wireless (OTA).  At Google I/O, they had this huge moveable platform bowling ball maze game that you controlled by titling a tablet, but the tablet was tethered by a USB cable.  In many other ADK demos, it seems silly that all the sudden your wireless device is now stuck to a cable.

I have worked on a biosensing project at my hackerspace where we used a Bluetooth module to connect an Arduino to an Android tablet for data visualization.  Our team member that wrote the app had to use an Bluetooth library that wasn't very smart and essentially all we had was a serial link to push bytes from the Arduino to the Android.

I think the power of the ADK is that is provides very nice Android APIs for controlling hardware.  It a good first step, but I would love to see nice ADK APIs brought to the Bluetooth and WiFi interfaces.

Cheers,

Drew

I came across this site: http://www.cellbots.com/software/java-app/
Video of it in action: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_x_5WDCpvtA&feature=player_embedded

It demonstrates use of BlueTooth for communication, but unfortunately it looks like to get the snazzy video streaming you have to put another phone directly on the robot.

I guess I'll just play the waiting game for a version of the ADK board which supports wireless communication.

ADK and Open Accessory are tethered only, and I supose the rationale is that you are esentially plugging it into a charger that does other interesting things too.

Obviously not the right thing for a lot of projects. Have a look at Amarino - it takes the pain out of the Bluetooth / Arduino link. I made this little robot using it. Again one of the projects in Arduino + Android Projects for the Evil Genius.

@Sun-tracker

If you are interested, please go through this ADK board, http://ethicstech.in/aw/

It is supporting bluetooth communication between Android mobile and ADK. It is also possible to communicate via USB. Please go through the product page for more about it.

-Prakash

@Sun-tracker

If you are interested, please go through this ADK board, http://ethicstech.in/aw/

It is supporting bluetooth communication between Android mobile and ADK. It is also possible to communicate via USB. Please go through the product page for more about it.

-Prakash