Horsie Race XBee Example

This project can serve as a model for almost any many-to-one network you’d like to build. You will create a carnival midway-style horse race using a wireless audio input with Arduino and XBee that transmits each player’s yells and cheers to a base station radio. This base station will be connected to a computer where the noise will advance their horse on the screen using the Processing graphical programming environment.

Yell, cheer, chant or plaintively moan into the microphone on your sensor board to make the horses move. Each board sends one update per second so the exact sound pressure at that moment is what makes it go. Your yelling will also be picked up somewhat by your neighbor’s microphone. Since you’ve gone wireless, physical strategy will be key. The direction you face and whether you hide in the coat closet will influence the speed of your horse.

The first horse across the finish line wins the race! Shower the lucky jockey with champagne, then press S on the keyboard to race again!

• Full Instructions
• Arduino Code *
• NewSoftSerial Library for Arduino (site)
• Processing Code *

* (Liz Arum contributed original code and ideas for this project)