Qualcomm turns smartphones into robots using 3D Printing

Quite recently Qualcomm – American Telecommunications Company – has represented a wonderful combination of smartphones with 3D printing technology: the entirely printable Snapdragon Micro Rover. This small robot was created as an experiment with the potential of a smartphone. What can happen if you make use of the computing power of smartphones in a variable device? Qualcomm team pointed that after long hours spent in the lab testing a variety of prototypes there appeared Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ Micro Rover.

The smartphone’s Snapdragon processor drives the Micro Rover and it’s placed on the small 3D vehicle. It utilizes a IOIO board as an I/O breakout and can connect an android phone either via Bluetooth or the Android Accessory Development Kit. The Micro Rover uses five AAA batteries to operate well. Qualcomm mini-racer is programmed to fulfill a number of functions. Using the navigation android application you can drive it around as it goes with a forklift with which the little robot can manipulate the surroundings.

In addition to it, the snapdragon processor is programmed in such a way as to let the vehicle follow aims autonomously. Actually it’s something more than just a new device for your pets to play with or simply a smartphone RC car. That’s what 3D printing fans and enthusiasts can have as a toy to play with or to customize. All the necessary programs and designs are available on the website and everybody is welcome to visit it and build their own Micro Rover. That’s a platform for everyone to develop their own STEM and DIY projects. You can use their software and design samples to develop your own unique model of micro rover.