Hi, I just found (and bought) a cool robot that uses the Arduino Leonardo+ ESP8266 Wifi module to communicate with a smartphone/tablet/Ipad: https://jjrobots.com/projects-2/b-robot/
|
ESP8266
The ESP8266 is a great way to add wifi to any project.
It can be picked up for a couple of quid on Ebay, and can now even be programmed using the Arduino IDE; if your project doesnt use many pins it could even remove the need for an arduino.
They are 3.3v boards so be wary when powering.
that was my first thought :
that was my first thought : the ESP8266 may be enough to drive the whole thing.
Did you tried?
Thanks for the discovery of this nice robot.
Not yet…
I have only recently jumped on the ESP8266 bandwagon, so to speak, so haven’t done anything with them just yet.
I recentlyl discovered this on Hackaday:
https://hackaday.io/project/5231-esp8266-esp-0712-dev-board
I have since contacted the creator and recently took delivery of one and can’t wait to get cracking!
It shipped with a test script on it, which opened up a wifi access point and hosted a web page with a button on it for toggling an onboard LED - this could definitely be expanded upon to enable this board, and whatever robot it is placed in, host it’s own controller app.
I’m easily excited 
**Thanks for this guys. **
Thanks for this guys.
The thing is: for my students I prefer the jjrobots PCB with the stepper motors and servo outputs rather than that ESP8266 dev board. It is easier to integrate and more…robotics oriented: http://jjrobots.com/product/b-robot-electronic-brain-complete-version/
I have been trying to find similar PCBs but unsuccesfully. We are assembling a huge self balancing robot with a sort of “battle arm” using this Shield. I will let you see a video as soon as possible 
John
mini project
That is a very nice shield for the arduino - a bit pricey for my liking though!
You can get each of the components such as the stepper motor drivers, the ESP8266, the gyro/accelerometer and all the headers, regulators etc for a few quid/dollars/dinero each and build a bespoke board for a fraction of the cost. You could even get yourself an arduino Nano (or ATMega328 chip) and build the arduino into the board!
It would be a another, mini project for your students within your main project, but would give them great skills for creating projects from the ground up
Well, from my point of view
Well, from my point of view it is no so pricey.
I know I am paying for not just the PCB but the Arduino CODE and the support/small community behind this Shield (that is perfect for the students). Thank you for your comments Craghissett!