The project aims in designing a solar powered vehicle that can be operated using Android mobile phone through voice commands. The controlling of the Robot is done wirelessly through Android smart phone using the Bluetooth feature present in it. Here in the project the Android smart phone is used as a remote control for operating the Robot.   Android is a software stack for mobile devices that includes an operating system, middleware and key applications. Android boasts a healthy array of connectivity options, including Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and wireless data over a cellular connection (for example, GPRS, EDGE (Enhanced Data rates for GSM Evolution), and 3G). Android provides access to a wide range of useful libraries and tools that can be used to build rich applications. In addition, Android includes a full set of tools that have been built from the ground up alongside the platform providing developers with high productivity and deep insight into their applications.   A solar panel is a large flat rectangle, typically somewhere between the size of a radiator and the size of a door, made up of many individual solar energy collectors called solar cells covered with a protective sheet of glass. The cells, each of which is about the size of an adult's palm, are usually octagonal and colored bluish black. Just like the cells in a battery, the cells in a solar panel are designed to generate electricity; but where a battery's cells make electricity from chemicals, a solar panel's cells generate power by capturing sunlight instead.   The controlling device of the whole system is a Microcontroller. Bluetooth module, DC motors are interfaced to the Microcontroller. The power supply to the robot motors is supplied from solar panel. The data received by the Bluetooth module from Android smart phone through voice commands is fed as input to the controller. The controller acts accordingly on the DC motors of the Robot. The robot in the project can be made to move in all the four directions using the Android phone. The direction of the robot is indicated using LED indicators of the Robot system. In achieving the task the controller is loaded with a program written using Embedded ‘C’ language.  

The main objectives of the project are:  

1. Operating the Robot wirelessly through mobile phone.
2. Running the motors with solar power.
3. Bluetooth wireless transmission.
4. Indicating Robot directions using LED indicators.

  The project provides exposure to following technologies:  

1. Google’s Android open source technology.
2. Bluetooth wireless technology.
3. Interfacing Bluetooth module to Microcontroller.
4. DC motor working and need for a Motor driver.
5. Interfacing of Robot DC motors to Microcontroller.
6. Power generation from solar panel
7. Embedded C programming.
8. PCB designing.

  The major building blocks of the project are:  

1. Regulated Power Supply.
2. Microcontroller.
3. Android smart phone.
4. Bluetooth module.
5. DC motors with driver.
6. Solar panel
7. Crystal oscillator.
8. Reset.
9. LED indicators.

      Software’s used:  

1. PIC-C compiler for Embedded C programming.
2. PIC kit 2 programmer for dumping code into Micro controller.
3. Express SCH for Circuit design.
4. Proteus for hardware simulation.

   

Block diagram:

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