iPhone-Controlled R/C Helicopters & Planes

Mark another one up for the iPhone's hacking potential: using the cellphone's accelerometers to remotely control airplanes and helicopters.  FliPhone is a home-grown app by Josh Ziering, which allows him to link his iPhone to a Linksys WiFi router onboard the R/C planes.Video demo after the cut

The router is running DD-WRT, and hooks up to a number of servos which have been modified with Cat5E plugs.  As for the iPhone app, it uses the accelerometers for direction and has on-screen throttle controls that you use with the touchscreen.  Vibration feedback gives indications of how much throttle is in use, so you don't have to constantly look down at the display, and it's possible to control more than one engine for redundancy.

That's obviously an over-simplified explanation, and there were plenty of issues to work around.  Not least, the fact that any time a call came in, the FliPhone app quit so Josh could answer it; that might be okay if you're playing Pacman, but it's not so great if an expensive R/C helicopter is about to come crashing to the ground.

[via Slashdot]