Controlling a Robot Over the Internet

[nuttaphong191]

For controlling my robot over the internet I thought about having a laptop with the visual basic program to directly control the robot. Then a second computer with remote assistance turned on can control the laptop remotely over the internet. The program on the laptop controls the robot directly through the USB port. I want to be able to run that program on the laptop form anywhere in the world. Is this possible to do? Is there an easier way to do this?

 

[Marks256]

Yes, that would be possible to do. Actually, that would be the simplist. The more practial (yet harder way) would be to get an ethernet module, and interface it to a microcontroller.

 

[Sceadwian]

If you want to do custom software with a nice graphic interface (possibly transmitting data from the robot itself) there's a programming language called Processing, which is based in Java, which has client/server ability as it easy for people that understand basic C to program in.
https://www.processing.org/

 

[kchriste]

Designing the USB interface to the robot will be just as, or more, difficult than using an ethernet IC and a microcontroller to serve up a micro web page to control the robot. If you intend to use a camera with the robot and actually see what is going on over the web, then the laptop/USB idea will be the easiest way.

 

[Sceadwian]

That's one big reason I suggested processing, it has serial port support, serial ports can do video audio and general interfaces easily, as long as at least some thought is put into things like compression.

 

[HYTECH]

with these controllers you can do the same thing fairly easy
**broken link removed**

I built a rc paintball tank and my next step is to bolt my laptop to it and control it over the internet.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KhJpYHz38PA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BS9pGOxQ10Q