There has been a significant increase in the number of developers blogging about connecting Flash to peripherals, devices, gadgets, and whatnot over the last six to nine months. Alchemy is in full bloom on Adobe labs and Merapi was recently released to open source. Is it time to start thinking about Flash as a contender / foundation for interfacing with hardware?

I use the terms 'interfaces' and 'hardware' generally because the actual definition (application?) will be a product of and limited only by your imagination... hardware could be anything: LEDs, servos, GPS, game controllers, a cash-drawer, RC toys, or anything you can drive-by-wire or wirelessly for that matter.

Consider what Wade Arnold is doing with Adobe AIR and a military-spec combat robot called R-Gator. Take a quick peek at the project... pretty cool huh? The creative juices don't have to stop there - interfaces that drive your hardware can be anything from default Flash, Flex, or AIR controls to something you might expect to see in a Star Trek movie. Add multitouch into the mix and your head might explode - just a little bit.

So... what does all this have to do with Adobe MAX 2009?

I submitted a session proposal to explore and demonstrate crossing hardware boundaries with Flash, Flex, and AIR. Needless to say, competition to present at MAX is intense; my session proposal was not accepted. In retrospect, I can see why... organizers were probably wondering what kind of interest there is for such a topic and if it would be possible to condense such a broad topic into a single session. Too many questions... not enough data.

Which leads me naturally to 'Bird of a Feather.' These evening sessions are more relaxed, less-formal, and encourage interaction / audience participation... an ideal venue for this topic. However, there is still the issue of participation. Which is why I'm making an open request for anyone planning on attending this year who is interested in Hardware Hijinks to fill out a brief survey that will help drive a BOF proposal.

Hardware Hijinks @ Adobe MAX 2009 Survey

If you're not sure what all the 'to do' is about... give some of these links a look-see.

Flash, Flex, and AIR Hardware Communication Links