Canadian startup EZ-Robot currently offers a range of modular components that enable hobbyists to build or upgrade robots. The "personal robotics" products include hardware and software geared for programmers, non-programmers, Arduino users, iRobot Roomba owners, prototype builders and educational users.
The team at Arduino have announced the release of the Arduino 1.0 specification for the its programming language and programming environment. The open-source software platform for hackable hardware devices now has a new file extension, toolbar icons, and color scheme. A progress bar for compilation and upload has also been added.
Hobbyists at advertising agency Redpepper have demonstrated a way for Apple's Siri technology to be used for interactions in the physical world. The beer-pouring robot, known as Beeri, is actually an RC truck that has been outfitted with an Arduino Uno board and a Wi-Fi radio.
Microsoft has quietly introduced an open-source platform, .NET Gadgeteer, that appears to mimic Arduino. The toolkit enables users to build small electronic devices and prototypes using modular hardware, with coding via the .NET framework and Visual Studio or Visual C# Express.
Redpark has introduced a new adapter cable that enables iOS devices to work with Arduino microcontroller boards. The cable is currently sold by DIY magazine Make as part of the Redpark Breakout Pack, which also includes the Arduino board, an RS232-to-TTL serial adapter, and a Mintronics Survival Pack with additional components and sensors.
Arduino has announced that it is now shipping the Mega ADK, a microcontroller board designed to work with Google's accessory development kit (ADK) for Android-based devices. The board is based on the Mega 2560, but with a USB host interface that enables it to communicate directly with, and even charge, an Android smartphone or other device.
