Create Android App to control mBot2

#1

Hello,

I have a mBot2 and I have tried the Makeblock Android demo app to control the mBot2.

I am now wondering if it is possible to create my own Android App (with customized options to control the mBoT2) by using App Inventor ?

Thanks

#2

The other option would be to get the source of the latest makeblock android app source code (which supports mBot2), so that anyone could customize the app.

It seems that there is an old version of the source code here : https://github.com/Makeblock-official/Makeblock-App-For-Android, but it is clearly outdated (2015), and probably does not support mBot2.

Could you please provide the latest source code of the app (and tell which development IDE shoud be used) ?

Thanks

#3

I don’t know much about App inventor, but I’m sure you can do anything you put your mind to. :slight_smile:

You might try mBlock online:
ide.mblock.cc
to see if it works.

#4

My question is actually not about creating a program running on mBot2, but rather about creating an Android App running on my mobile phone (which would then interact via bluetooth with a program running on mBot2).

Makeblock is providing an Android App exemple (called Makeblock) on Google Play Store, but I would like to create my own Android App to control for exemple the mbot2 robotic arm add-on from my mobile phone.

Or is there some tool on ide.mblock.cc to create Android apps ?

Thanks

#5

You can use:
https://appmaker.xyz/web2desk
And websites like it to make apps of ide.mblock.cc

#6

Ok let’s assume that I use https://appmaker.xyz to build an android app which sends control commands over bluetooth (with customized byte values in the control commands).

But then how do I retrieve incoming bluetooth messages on the mBot2 ? In the mblock tool, it is possible to add blocks to receive LAN messages or to receive Cloud messages, but I don’t see any block which allows to receive messages on the mBot2 bluetooth interface. How can I do that, is there an extension under mblock for this purpose ?

#7

There is not. mBlock created the mBot’s Bluetooth strictly for their software’s purposes and does not say how to use it for yourself.

#8

Ok thanks for the feedback.

I am now wondering if I could use Wifi instead of Bluetooth for my purpose : is it possible to create a customized Android App which sends commands over Wifi (through my personal wifi routeur) and to receive the command on the mBot2 side by receiving LAN Wifi message ? I guess it should be possible , but I am not sure about the Wifi protocol (direct, ESP NOW, content of the message ?) that I should use on the mobile phone customized Android App side ?

Another idea would be to send a Wifi Cloud message (which can be retrieved on the mBot2 side by receiving cloud messages), but I guess we are not allowed to post a Cloud message on the Makeblock Cloud from a customized Android App ?

#9

Sorry, no. I’m not that much into coding Wi-Fi stuff. You might check out Stack Overflow.

#10

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