Circuits@home USB Host Shield

Happy New Year! After the success of the firework firing device, I'm thinking about projects for 2013.

I want learn more about the USB interface and protocol, because It opens a door to hacking into all sorts of devices. Just about everything has a USB these days.

For my first attempt (started today) I am using USBlyzer - Windows USB sniffer 30 day trial to sniff the data sent from my robot arm software to it's controller board on the Arm.

Robot arm @ Rapid Electronics

I want to use the Arduino USB host shield to control the Arm, thus setting it free from the chains of the Microsoft Empire.The hard bit is working out the USB stuff, but initial sniffings are promising and show small packets containing simple data.

I've had some ideas about what to do with it once it's Arduino enabled. Here are some on a dream-list, please add some if you can.

• Make it lighter and, attach it to my robot car
• Put it on a jeenode RF network, so I can RC it.
• Put a miniature video camera on the "hand"
• Enhance it's strength and add "super powers"
• Add a plasma rifle in the 500W range?! Aw OK, a BB gun or missile launcher

Well, I hope I haven't bitten off more than I can chew! But Gamps has still got all his own gnashers. Thankfully Dr. Andrew Davison has tackled this in Java. I know a bit of JAVA so I'll be studying his work .