The Re-Mote is a new product by FAST Robotics.  With the Re-Mote, you can trade out your expensive R/C Transmitter and use your own USB Controllers to control your Robot.  The Re-Mote is fully MAVLink compatible, XBee compatible and is powered by 2 AA Batteries for up to 2 hours of use.  

The way the Re-Mote works is that you hook up your USB Controller (or 2) to the Re-Mote, use the Configuration GUI to tell the Re-Mote how to interpret commands, such as button pushes and axis movements to relate to MAVLink commands to your UAV.  For each USB Controller(s) and Robot, the GUI makes what we call a User Profile.  After you finish making this Profile Bucket File you can download directly to the Re-Mote, download to a Micro-SD Card on the Re-Mote or save this File for later.

When you are ready to use your Robot, no need to bring your computer!  Connect your USB Controller to the Re-Mote (which powers your USB Controllers), install your own XBee compatible Radio, select which User Profile to use and you are ready to go!

Current Status:  As of 7-July-2012, we have performed the following work:

-Neat Feature Animation Video!

-Physical housing mostly complete.

-Critical code has been developed, which includes developing/testing for USB Controllers and sending data via MAVLink to QGroundControl.

-Configuration GUI has been started.

Work to be completed:

-Re-Mote Schematic and PCB Design

-Bill Of Materials

We are working very hard on this and hope to put on Kickstarter within 1 month.  For now, we are anticipating an assembled Re-Mote (RF Radio not included) to cost about $65 on Kickstarter and $75 retail.  These numbers are a work in progress so they may go up or down.

All of our code, designs, schematics and everything is open-source.  As the Re-Mote is still a work in progress some of the information here is a little sparse, but here are some links:

Re-Mote Git Hub Repository
Re-Mote Wiki