Open sourcing all the things

A while ago I was blogging about GenghisIO - a project with the goal of removing all the mess involved in programming a small range of real-world robots - the IDE, drivers, cables etc etc.

The project eventually stalled due to increasing complexity and decreasing resources (time...) but quite a few neat problems were solved along the way - so I have open sourced it!

If you're interested in using Google App Engine applications, Python Flask with WebSockets, empythoned, Python QR code generation, Android WebViews and JavaScript -> Bluetooth communication then go and have a look.

I'd love to hear from you below if you find something useful in there :)

On GenghisIO

More than eight months have passed since I announced GenghisIO, my attempt to remove the installation barriers for real world robotics programming.

Since then the project has progressed significantly. Unfortunately progress has now slowed significantly.

The long and the short of it is that with a full-time job and family I simply don't have the time to commit to developing such a large undertaking. It has also become clear that whilst I am solving some "really cool technical problems" with this platform, my sales pitch was actually more of a 10-minute sales show-and-tell/essay.

This was making it very hard to convince people of the project's worth, which in turn was making it really hard to keep motivated. Frankly, if the "need" of this project is so hard to explain, maybe it doesn't exist as much as I'd like it to.

With all that in mind, GenghisIO is going on the back burner for now and I expect I will shortly opensource the development done so far so others may benefit.

Announcing GenghisIO

For the last twelve months I've been working on a "secret" project that's got me very, very excited! Even better, it's finally at a point where I can show you all something substantial.

The aim of the project, GenghisIO, is the development of a web-delivered platform for no-installation interactive robotics programming, using Android and iOS devices to bridge the gap between your software and your robot.

The targeted platforms are currently Sphero, LEGO NXT and IOIO, with "more to come" of course.

The video below shows the current test app UI, with a simple program driving the Sphero 2.0 around in a square pattern. The scrolling text shows real time serial communications with the Sphero.

GenghisIO is extremely alpha, but if you're interested in finding out more, I recommend following GenghisIO on Twitter where I'll be posting previews, updates, beta invites etc etc.

Happy robots!