Open the viewer

The playground

Pick a sim. Grab your phone.

Scan its code, take the controls, bring friends.

All sims

All phone-controlled sims

  • Five-axis arm

    Arm · The sim’s own arm: a turning base, three bends and a wrist roll, over a metre of reach.

    Controllers: 3D hand, Wii remote, Trackpad, Gamepad

  • SO-101

    Arm · LeRobot’s open-source arm, joint for joint: drive the twin, then connect a real one over USB.

    Controllers: 3D hand, Trackpad, Wii remote, Gamepad

  • Six-axis industrial arm

    Arm · A factory arm with a spherical wrist: its forearm twists, so the tool turns any way at all.

    Controllers: 3D hand, Gamepad, Wii remote, Trackpad

  • SCARA

    Arm · Swings flat and drops its quill: quick, stiff pick and place from above, the tool always pointing down.

    Controllers: Wii remote, Gamepad, 3D hand, Trackpad

  • Delta

    Arm · Three arms overhead carry a level gripper: the fastest kind of picker, working the dome under its motors.

    Controllers: Wii remote, 3D hand, Gamepad, Trackpad

  • Desk arm

    Arm · A four-axis arm like the ones on desks and in classrooms: a parallelogram keeps its gripper pointing down.

    Controllers: Wii remote, Trackpad, 3D hand, Gamepad

  • Robot dog

    Robot · Trot around the yard, chase your ball and sit for a well-earned rest.

    Controllers: Gamepad, Trackpad

  • Rover

    Vehicle · Drive a little rover round the yard and knock the cones about.

    Controllers: Steering wheel, Gamepad, Trackpad, Wii remote

  • Boat

    Vehicle · Thread the harbour buoys, leave a wake, and come alongside the dock.

    Controllers: Steering wheel, Gamepad, Trackpad

  • Tank

    Vehicle · Turn the turret with gyro Aim and knock down targets with soft practice balls.

    Controllers: Gamepad, Trackpad

  • Kart track

    Vehicle · Drift around a bank of bends and race your friends through every checkpoint.

    Controllers: Steering wheel, Gamepad

  • Submarine

    Vehicle · Trim your ballast, explore the seabed and ping the wrecks with sonar.

    Controllers: Gamepad, Trackpad

  • Drone

    Flyer · Take off, fly through the rings, land back on your pad.

    Controllers: Gamepad, 3D hand, Trackpad

  • RC plane

    Flyer · Take a gentle trainer off the runway, bank through the rings and glide home.

    Controllers: Gamepad, Trackpad

  • Helicopter

    Flyer · Lift into a steady hover, thread the training rings and settle onto your pad.

    Controllers: Gamepad, Trackpad

  • Smart lamps

    Home · Four lamps in a room at dusk: colour and dim yours, or type what you want.

    Controllers: Trackpad, Air mouse, Keyboard

  • Robot vacuum

    Home · Clean the dust between the furniture, then send the robot back to charge.

    Controllers: Wii remote, Trackpad

  • Smart home room

    Home · Share a furnished room: open the blinds, spin the fan, tune the TV and set the temperature.

    Controllers: Trackpad, Air mouse

  • Jib crane

    Camera · Swing and boom a camera over a small stage, then pan and tilt its levelled head to frame a take.

    Controllers: Gamepad, Trackpad

  • Camera slider

    Camera · Set travel, pan and tilt from your phone, save keyframes and play a smooth shot of the subject.

    Controllers: Trackpad, Gamepad

  • PTZ camera

    Camera · Point your phone and the camera looks there. Zoom in and catch the train.

    Controllers: Wii remote, Trackpad, Gamepad

  • Stage spotlights

    Show · Point a moving head across the stage. Mix colours and patterned beams in the haze.

    Controllers: Wii remote, Trackpad

  • Light painter

    Toy · Move a light through a dark studio and leave long-exposure ribbons hanging in the air.

    Controllers: 3D hand, Air mouse, Trackpad

  • Camera gimbal

    Camera · Hold a camera steady or roll it through a shot: its three axes follow your phone one for one.

    Controllers: Trackpad, 3D hand

  • Marble run

    Game · Build a channel across the board, then tilt your phone to race a marble to the finish.

    Controllers: Trackpad, Gamepad

  • Table football

    Game · Slide the rods, spin to kick and play doubles on one shared table.

    Controllers: Gamepad, Trackpad

  • Marble maze

    Game · Tilt your phone to roll a glass marble through the maze, round the holes.

    Controllers: Trackpad, Gamepad

  • Claw machine

    Game · Point over a prize, drop the claw, and hope it holds on.

    Controllers: Wii remote, Gamepad, Trackpad, 3D hand

  • Slot cars

    Game · Squeeze one trigger, coast into the bends and see how fast you can keep your car in its lane.

    Controllers: Steering wheel, Gamepad, Trackpad

  • Air hockey

    Game · Slide a mallet from your phone and send the puck into the other player’s goal.

    Controllers: Trackpad, Air mouse

  • Pinball

    Game · Pull the plunger, work both flippers and nudge a steel ball through a field of bumpers.

    Controllers: Gamepad, Trackpad

  • Faction arena

    Game · Four players, a phone each: tilt to roll, tap to dash, knock the others off the ring.

    Controllers: Trackpad, Gamepad

  • Excavator

    Machine · Work the two sticks, scoop the sand pile and swing a full bucket over the truck.

    Controllers: Gamepad, 3D hand

  • Forklift

    Machine · Pick up the pallets, carry them through the warehouse and stack them on the racks.

    Controllers: Gamepad, Trackpad

  • Sorting cell

    Robot · Match each conveyor part to a colour bin and send it through with the pusher.

    Controllers: Wii remote, Trackpad, Gamepad

  • Music studio

    Music · Eight phones. One room. Find a rhythm together.

    Controllers: Drums, Tone keys

  • Trebuchet

    Science · Tune the counterweight and release angle, launch down the range and follow the arc to the targets.

    Controllers: Trackpad, Gamepad

  • Pendulum lab

    Science · Change length and damping, flick your phone to push a pendulum and compare its live trace.

    Controllers: Trackpad, Gamepad

  • Telescope mount

    Science · Point into a named star field, zoom through the eyepiece and log each object you find.

    Controllers: Wii remote, Trackpad, Gamepad

  • Planetary rover

    Science · Explore a dusty low-gravity crater, work the sampling arm and scout through the mast camera.

    Controllers: Gamepad, Trackpad

  • Shared 3D scene

    Scene · A model everyone holds a part of, each in their own colour.

    Controllers: Trackpad, Wii remote, 3D hand, Gamepad

Next in the catalogue

How to play

Open a sim on a computer or TV and scan its code with your phone's camera, or type the code at obpal.blackboxes.net. No app needed. Your phone opens the controller that suits it best; pick another from its tabs.