In the beginning

DeB is the world's first device browser. It makes connecting with devices simple and fun for everyone. Just tap using NFC and it’s done.

Together with the ADRC Shield and Hub, DeB opens up a whole new platform for makers allowing you to create wonderful user experiences for your Arduino and Raspberry Pi projects via a smartphone.

We have written the 100,000 lines of code required to implement DeB and ported it to Linux and Android so you don’t need to bother with developing a smartphone app for your project!

You can create stunning interfaces with DeB. Above an example to control fairy lights.

Our system consists of three elements: Shield, Hub and DeB.
The ADRC Shield
Shields are boards that can be plugged on top of the Arduino printed circuit board (PCB) to extend its capabilities. We incorporated our Auto-Discovery Remote Control technology onto the ADRC Shield or just Shield for short. It communicates via 802.15.4 communications technology with the ADRC Hub because this radio gives longer range than Bluetooth and uses less power than Wi-Fi.
The ADRC Hub
The ADRC Hub or just Hub contains the other half of our Auto-Discovery Remote Control technology. It acts as a translator between Wi-Fi on the phone and the 802.15.4 radio on the ADRC Shield. Also it is able to run advanced apps such as a rules engine or an energy monitoring service which may be available in the future. And finally it will provide a secure interface to the Internet so that you can safely control your projects when you are away from home.
The Device Browser - DeB
The Device Browser or DeB for short, brings everything together into one coherent and easy to use system. Just as a web browser allows you to view any website, DeB allows you to interact with any ADRC device. DeB is a single app that runs on a smartphone and provides the ability for developers to create customised user interfaces without needing the skills, funds or time required to create a phone app. DeB comes with a set of device templates that work out of the box, allowing you to customise them to suit your needs. You will then enjoy learning and exploring how to create your own fully customised interface.
DeB - One app to connect with everything

ADRC Shield, Navigator screen of DeB, ADRC Hub (Smart phone not included)
For more info see the chapters ‘How does it work’ and ‘Technology Information’ below.

"We just backed the project and we are very excited to get one of the first ones!"
"It looks very promising. I am interested in the result. Keep me informed."
"Your shield looks amazing, somehow it looks simple and something I would start working on. It's good that even beginners can identify with your Kickstarter campaign."
"Awesome campaign and product."
"Looks great guys."
"Really like the campaign. Obviously a LOT of work has gone into this project. I am very impressed with your website, the white paper, and the Kickstarter campaign as well."
"Congratulations on your accomplishment and a tip of the hat to all the work that has gone into this amazing project!"
"It is VERY cool! It is just what I need for my project."
"Excellent, will be exiting now to see how it goes."
"Seems like a great idea and I love to support Aussie tech."
"It's clear, it's readable and understandable to your market. Would I buy one? Yes. Will I buy one ? Yes. Can I now walk into my local ham radio club, and convince then to try a project or two? Yes, and they are hard sells."
"I think it’s great that you ask for feedback, read it and then reply. That is how any product developed for this community should be handled."
"I love it. I can’t wait to see it on the market! Terrible.... caused me to pop for US$215+ :-$ Think it is really well done. Movie is just goofy enough but not overly so. Text does a good job of describing the project. Good luck, hope it gets funded."
"I thought the Kickstarter campaign was brilliant and very knowledgeable. It is cool, I think it would be useful for building a drone.... Very interesting work you are doing, keep up the good work!"

DeB is for anyone who wants to create the next generation of cool connected devices.
So if you are a hobbyist, student or engineer, a starter or expert, DeB is for you.
Don't wait for someone else to create the things you want. Now you can build the future yourself. It's fun, it's easy and because you already know Arduino or Raspberry Pi you can get going right away.
Educators in schools, universities and colleges will also find DeB an engaging tool for teaching technology to their students. We are developing pedagogy, exercises and tools that satisfy the Australian national curriculum for years 7 through 12.

• Make Arduino and Raspberry Pi projects that display their user interface on your smartphone
• Create projects that alert you when something happens via a notification on your phone
• Impress your friends by allowing them to tap their phones on your project and control it
• Store events and data emitted by your projects in a central database on the Hub
• Develop or install Raspberry Pi applications on the Hub
• Control legacy devices such as TVs, DVDs, Blu-ray, air conditioners via our Infrared Blaster
• Control and monitor simple appliances such as lamps, fans, coffee makers, heaters via one of our smart plugs
• Connect your projects together to do amazing things by creating rules. Rules can be written using Arduino’s coding language, Wiring and run on Arduino. For example, rules can designate the output of one device to become the input for another device. This requires a Wi-Fi shield and a separate Arduino to run the rules logic.
• Make toys, robots, drones, hydroponic gardens...
• Turn your home into a smart home

Connect your Arduino to legacy equipment via our existing interface devices

You know that 99% of the world is designed by a tech-literate 1%. That's a problem caused by: closed technologies, uninteresting top-down teaching and the need for expensive development tools.
But it doesn’t have to be like that. We see a future where a 15 year old kid working in their bedroom can be the inventor of the next exciting new thing. Using free and open software, low cost hardware like Arduino and Raspberry Pi, even a 3D printer and DeB, anyone can become a designer and maker.
The other reason is that we found, and I’m sure you’ll agree, that technology is getting more and more complex to use. For example do we really want 6-7 remote controls in our home or 100 apps on our phone? DeB comes to the rescue. One app that can control and interact with almost anything. And the best part… you get to make the future.

• No phone app development required, you describe your device and its user interface in a simple XML document. Up and running in minutes.
• One smartphone app that works for all your projects.
• Access to an extensive library of GUI widgets.
• Add the Shield to any Arduino project or to a Raspberry Pi via an adapter board.
• Supports NFC pairing with your project, nevertheless, the system works as well with smartphones which are not equipped with NFC technology.
• Expandable with our existing and future products for appliance control, energy monitoring, sensors and more. See www.xped.com/Arduino for more details.

Make projects with your friends, your dad, your sister it’s fun and bonding.
Our kit is also great for schools, hacker spaces, clubs, companies and places where people investigate and try out new ideas.
Make hardware, games with physical pieces, share your projects with your neighbors, classmates and people all around the world.
Automate your vegetable garden or aquaponics system. Using sensors, record the climate in your school or home and compare it against changes in other places around the world.
There are a million and one things you could do!

DeB emerged from 5 years of government approved R&D into advanced Internet of Things technologies.
It is based on a standardized way of describing devices, a simple but powerful communications protocol and a generic device browser.
It is implemented as three interconnecting parts: a smartphone app (DeB), a device server (hub) and a device proxy (Arduino shield or chip).
RML language
We have developed an XML-based language called Resource Modelling Language (RML). It is used to describe the API and data of any device no matter how complex it may be. You can think of it as being similar to HTML where HTML describes a webpage so that a web browser can draw it on screen, whereas RML describes a device so that a device browser or other ADRC client can interact with it.
See here for sample scripts, templates and more information about RML:www.xped.com/Arduino
RML code is stored as a file on the Shield and automatically transferred to DeB during the pairing process. You can store the RML for your device in the PROGMEM of the Arduino as a string and our library for the shield makes it easy to register your device's RML with the shield during the setup function.

Example of RML code for a wireless power switch
ADRC Hub
The Hub is necessary because smartphones don’t provide 802.15.4 communications technology. It also provides the ability for out-of-location control via the Internet so that you can control your devices when you are away from your Arduino project. Another powerful feature of the Hub is that it can run apps. An example of a Hub app is a rules engine that can be configured to control your devices based on events emitted by sensors or information feeds. The Hub connects to your existing Wi-Fi router via one of the Ethernet ports on the back. To set it up you simply connect it to power using the supplied power plug pack and then connect it to the Wi-Fi router using the cable supplied. No other configuration is required.

ADRC Hub
ADRC Shield
Adding an ADRC Shield is the same as any other shield; simply plug it on to an Arduino board. The Shield can be configured via a set of eight switches to use different pairs of pins for UART communications. The Shield has NFC so you can tap an NFC-enabled smartphone to it in order pair with it or view its webpage or access its configuration menu.

ADRC Shield plugged onto an Arduino Uno PCB
DeB
Here is where DeB comes in. When you tap your phone to your project, DeB will prompt you about the discovery of the new device. Give your project a name. DeB reads your project’s RML file from the Shield and creates a user interface for it. Once this happens you can control the device.

DeB showing paired devices
You can visit our blog to get more detailed technical information:http://xpedadrc.blogspot.com.au