Design of An Arduino-based Smart Car

Zhao Wang, Eng Gee Lim, Weiwei Wang, Mark Leach, Ka Lok Man.
Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University, Suzhou, China
Enggee.lim@xjtlu.edu.cn

code,

Abstract

released

under

the

Apache

License,

permits

any

enthusiast developers' free modification of the software on the

Remote-controlled cars are one of the most popular toy

Android platform. Therefore, a large number of applications

products currently on the mass market. Each series of car has a

have been written to extend the functionality of touchscreen

specific remote-control unit. This presents the consumer with

a critical problem; obtaining a substitution controller where
the original control unit has broken down. In this work a robot
based on an external Arduino microcontroller, controllable by
an

Android

application

via

Bluetooth,

which

can

be

recommended as a prototype for the combination of embedded

systems with Android mobile devices is investigated.

mobile devices. Software alterations are based on the Java

programming

language.

In

addition,

Android

operating

systems are commonly described as a low-cost, pre-existing,

light and customizable choice [4]. As seen in Figure 1, the
modified Linux kernel is the essential basis for the Android
operating system. On top of the Linux kernel, application
software runs on a virtual machine, application programming
interface (API), middleware and libraries written in C, C++,
Java and XML are contained in this software stack [5].

Keywords- Remote-controlled; smart car; Android.

The Bluetooth core system contains an RF transceiver,

baseband and protocol stack and provides services allowing
the connection of

Introduction

Android smartphones command 81% of the global market

share despite their relatively short history. In comparison to
the iPhone operating system (iOS) and Windows phones
which

occupy

12.9%

respectively

[I].

smartphone

owners,

and

With

the

3.6%

of

rapidly

millions

of

the

overall

growing

market

number

Android

of

applications

(Android apps) have been developed aimed at improving

every aspect of life, including, home automation systems,
daily

arrangements,

mobile

databases

and

entertainment

systems. As a consequence of this functional integration in

portable devices, there is a crucial need for human presence in
digital and vertical environments. One possibility is the fusion

various

devices and the exchange

of

different data classes [6]. Bluetooth products can be divided

into slave and master, which are able to actively initiate and
negotiate with other B1uetooth modules. They have various
effective ranges in different situations due to the influence of
the environment,

material coverage,

battery's power and

antenna configuration. The range is lower than the theoretical

distance if propagation is indoors due to attenuation caused by
signal reflections. For a variety of classes of device and
maximum power, their specified ranges are distinct. The
general distances for Class 3, 2 and 1 radios are up to 1, 10
and 100 meters. Mobile devices based on class 2 radios while
class 3 radios are mostly found in industrial environments [7].

of embedded systems and manual operation to control external

Smart Car Design

devices.

As A smart mobile device and an embedded system side are

Arduino
prototyping

is

designed

platform

as

an

providing

open-source
schematics

electronics

and

flexible

development kits for enthusiastic users who intend to produce

interactive objects or environments. Arduino can be used to
sense surroundings by utilising various transducers to read and

involved in this project. The overall framework should contain

a user, an Android smartphone field, an Arduino-based car
namely the embedded system field and a personal computer as
shown in Fig. I.

interpret inputs in order to make responses for example

through the controlling of motors or transferring of data [2].

--

1-

Since 2010, Android has been regarded as the most

widely-used operating system across the whole spectrum of
PC's, handsets and other terminal devices ahead of iPhone,
Black Berry and other Operating Systems. It is an open-source

- - ----- --- - --- -----+

--------------] - --, - - --- - --- - --- - --- - --- - iJ-- ----------,

: And:cid phon

---

---

( Scen I

...-____

gravitational

sensors and gyroscopes which may be suitable for user input.

For example, the suspension of the alarm clock can be
manipulated by shifting the phones orientation [3]. The source

978-1-4799-5127-7/$31.00@2014IEEE

I ST Modub r-. Arduino

t ,.--"-II
Infrared
-'-,1
Sen,or
[ Ultrasonic Sensol I .

___

the real world such as tapping, sliding and shaking. These

accelerometers,

!
I
loto:

direct manipulations are attributed to internal components

sensors,

Embedded syslem

mobile devices with direct operations that are like actions in

proximity

--_. --_. --_.

,}

mobile platform developed by Google mainly for touchscreen

including

:":7

___________________________________ J,J

.r;

. _______________________________

Fig. 1. Overall design of this project

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ISOCC2014

Jt

manipulators with an easy and user-friendly interaction with

With assistance of the Arduino integrated development

embedded systems in industry and domestic areas. One of the

environment (IDE) in the PC, sketches are compiled and

crucial features of products is accessibility. Uncomplicated

uploaded into the Arduino board via a USB transmission line.

operations

The

Connection within a system composed of embedded devices

car

and

mobile

phone

are

linked

via

wireless

communication. By touching or pressing on the screen or user

interface (UI) of an Android phone, a manipulator can send
commands to the Arduino microcontroller on the car through
Bluetooth

and

observe

the

corresponding

executions

accomplished by actuators, for example motors.

Two gear motors, two wheels, a universal wheel, a battery
holder,

two

18650

lithium

batteries,

switch

and

and

compact

user

interfaces

are

preferred.

and mobile applications lends itself to wireless communication.

The outcome of this paper is a small car that is powered by an
external Arduino microcontroller with a motor shield and
controllable by an Android application via Bluetooth and can
be

recommended

as

prototype

remote-control

system

following a successful trial of this concept.

two

baseboards compose the chassis of the car as shown in Fig. 2.

I Disconnect I D G-Sensor

Forward distance: 57

Connectioosucceed

+
ShowData>,.>

Fig. 2. Hardware realization process

Fig. 3. Android application

Results

Two modes have been designed in this paper. The first

Acknowledgment

mode is wireless control and the second mode is for obstacle

avoidance. When the car is operated in mode I, the only
method for controlling the car is by operation from the

This

work

is

partially

supported

by

the

Natural

Science

smartphone via B1uetooth communication. Four functions are

Foundation of Jiangsu province (BK20131183) and Suzhou Science

achieved here. The fundamental ones are forward, left, right

and Technology Bureau (SYG201211).

and reverse movements as well as a stop action based on the

touching of arrows or sliding a white ball as shown in Fig. 3.
Another form of control is assisted by the gravitational
sensor which refers to the accelerometer sensor built-in to the

References
[I]

Android smartphone. It is possible to display, store, show and

clear measurements sent by Arduino microcontroller. A voice
control interface has also been included based on Google
Voice Search, it can handle receiving data and sending some

Data sheet "Top Four Operating Systems, Shipments, and Market

Share, Q3 2013 (Units in Millions)". International Data Corporation
(IDC), Available from: http://www.idc.com/getdoc.jsp?containerld
=prUS244420 13,2013.

[2]

Arduino. What Arduino can do. Available from: http://arduino.cc/ ,

20 14

[3]

Arduino,

"Arduino

Motor

Available

Shield'.

from:

http://arduino.cc/en/Main/ArduinoMotorShieldR3,20 14.

instruction messages.
In mode 2, the car keeps going forward until an obstacle

[4]

appears within a defmed threshold distance. After exploring

the barrier, it will stop and detect distances in the front-left

from:

http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/20 121l1lon-androids-

5th-birthday-5-things-we-love-about-android/,20 13.
[5]

M. Butler. (20 1 1) Android: Changing the Mobile Landscape. IEEE

Xplore.

and front-right directions, to determine which offers greater

clearance and then proceeds in that direction.

J.Brodkin. "On its 5th birthday, 5 things we love about Android".

Available

Available

from:

http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/stamp/stamp.jsp?

tp=&arnumber=5676 144&tag= 1 ,2014.

[6]

Anon. Bluetooth SIG. "How Bluetooth Technology Works". Available

from: http://web.archive.org/web/20080 1 17000828/

Conclusion

http://bluetooth.com/Bluetooth/Technology/Works/,20 13.

The proposed design is simple and low-profile. Control

[7]

and monitoring of many embedded systems can be achieved

by

combining

mobile

devices,

which

978-1-4799-5127-7/$31.00@2014IEEE

provide

Anon. Bluetooth SIG. "A Look at the Basics of Bluetooth Wireless

Technology". Available from: http://www.bluetooth.com/Pages/

Basics.aspx ,20 13

general

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