Google Gadget that monitors Arduino sensor data

Matthew Karas sent us a hack for creating an iGoogle homepage interface for physical measurement devices. Using an Arduino and a python script, he found a clever way to send real-time sensor data to a Google Gadget, and it doesn’t even require having a web server.

I managed to hack up an arduino to upload data to google docs in real time. I then created a real time data gadget and sent that to google home page. That way I can monitor a sensor network from anywhere, with minimal cash outlay. I don’t need to have a web host. I did it in two evenings.

The python code can run on a laptop connected the the Arduino. This script reads sensor data from the device and then posts it to a Google Spreadsheet using the python gdata API. From there, you can easily use the spreadsheet as a datasource for a Google Gadget which is then embedded in iGoogle or wherever you want to view your sensor data.

He’s posted the necessary code and instructions for making this work. You should be able to customize it for your own projects and get something like this up and running in no time flat.

Real Time Arduino Data To iGoogle Homepage
gdata – Google Data Python API