We put together this Google map showing the span of the ioBridge network. When we first went public with our beta hardware back in November, we were caught off guard by the demand from international customers. Honestly, we didn’t even know how well our hardware and web applications would work spanning such large distances. A few brave beta testers in the Netherlands and Australia decided to take a change and try out our hardware anyway. We soon found out that the ioBridge system latency was still very good and gave these users near real-time control capabilities over the Internet. We think this is amazing considering that some of these command messages are literally circling the globe!
An interesting point to make about all the points you see on the map is that any of them can be linked. By using our Serial Smart Boards, a serial based sensor attached to a module in Singapore can send readings to an LED scrolling sign in London.
We’re hard at work on more linking features. Soon ioBridge users will be able to connect digital inputs and outputs from modules anywhere in the world. The transcontinental ioBridge light-switch isn’t far off!
Callum Jones has been posting on his blog about a java application to interface with your ioBridge Module. His first post contains the source and libraries — his second post includes the steps to run the application.
What ioBridgeTalk allows you to do is have a desktop hook to your modules Data Feed. You can get an XML dump of your JSON feed and link to your applications that would benefit from that data, like getting access to temperature, digital input, and other sensor data.
I spent a few minutes in NetBeans and was able to use his Subversion and his distribution version of the application. I typed in my feed key from my module on my desk and had instant access to it’s data via Java.
Check out Callum Jones’ Blog (mullac.org) for posts regarding tech, music, and photography. I especially like his posts regarding his new digital camera.
LaserPup is burning up the Internet. Joe of laserpup.com has created an interactive, Internet controlled and monitored pet toy, for his fluffy dog Skyler. Joe can log into an “iPhone friendly web app” that allows him to watch his dog from work, click a button to sound off a buzzer, and play with the dog using a laser pointer by clicking around his web interface. The system uses a couple of servos for x and y axis movement of the laser pointer and a few ioBridge widgets to make things work in the web app. Some dogs and cats love the laser pointer, chasing the light source all around -- it’s healthy, fun exercise for pets in moderation.
When we first heard of the project, we thought this has something to do with dogs doing epic battles with lasers (nice Star Trek and ‘Skyborg’ reference, btw), but this is a very practical project. On the laserpup.com you will find a video, instructions, screen captures, and all of the de-tails to make your own Internet controlled pet toy for dogs and cats (I have to believe they will love it too). Awesome project Joe and thanks for sharing LaserPup with all of us. This YouTube video, enhanced with some Daft Punk, says the rest.
