Use BLE protocol with Azure Kinect

wajih youssef 40

Hello,

Can I use the BLE protocol with the azure kinect examples ( the FastPointCloud for instance ) to send data ( like the coordinates of detected points ) to an external mobile app ?

Thanks

LeelaRajeshSayana-MSFT 13,471 Reputation points

2023-01-20T22:43:57.93+00:00

Hi Wajih, Welcome to Microsoft Q&A forum! Thank you for your question. While there is no official documentation around your use case, you can certainly try to integrate a BLE SDK's implementation in CPP available on the GitHub repository and come up with an implementation that lets you send data to an external mobile. Here are couple of repositories I found on BLE implemented using CPP. a) BLE Scanner app b) Implementation of Bluetooth Low Energy functions in modern C++

Please let us know if the above shared information answers your question. Let us know if you need further assistance on this.
wajih youssef 40 Reputation points

2023-01-23T16:47:28.2933333+00:00

Hello @LeelaRajeshSayana-MSFT and thanks for your answer,

I will try to integrate a BLE SDK's implementation as you told me and get back to you
wajih youssef 40 Reputation points

2023-01-25T15:22:42.5466667+00:00

Hello @LeelaRajeshSayana-MSFT

I run the example in the first ble example repository you sent me BLE Scanner app ( after I resolved compiling problems related to the include files and the version of the visual studio ) I started debugging the example and I used the NRF app but it shows nothing ( I can't connect with the NRF nor any other app ) do you any idea about this ?

ps : in this example doesn't it work as a scanner so will it send data to another app that is also responsible for scanning ?

thanks
LeelaRajeshSayana-MSFT 13,471 Reputation points

2023-01-26T00:54:33.72+00:00

Hell @wajih youssef Thank you for testing the GitHub SDK and sharing the feedback. I highly appreciate your efforts in trying to test the solution.

The resources shared earlier were only meant to point you towards building your own SDK. You might have to refer some additional resources on implementation on Bluetooth Low Energy Protocol on C++ and figure out the correct solution for you needs and integrate it. I have found some information on Bluetooth Low Energy protocol on Microsoft documents which uses Generic Attribute (GATT) protocol to implement BLE. I have found a GitHub repository on BLE which provides various samples. Please review it and see if that helps.
wajih youssef 40 Reputation points

2023-01-27T10:02:52.5733333+00:00

Hello @LeelaRajeshSayana-MSFT ,

thank you for your answer and your efforts, I will check the resources and links you sent me and get back to you, thanks
wajih youssef 40 Reputation points

2023-02-01T15:39:16.4566667+00:00

Hello @LeelaRajeshSayana-MSFT ,

does the azure kinect have a Bluetooth module integrated in it ?
LeelaRajeshSayana-MSFT 13,471 Reputation points

2023-02-02T00:19:55.2333333+00:00

Hi @wajih youssef thank you for your question. I did not find any references to BLE in the official Azure Kinect DK documentation. Let me check with the SME's on this topic to see if there are any drivers that needs to be installed on top of the device to enable BLE feature. Please look for updates on this thread in the next days.
wajih youssef 40 Reputation points

2023-02-02T09:05:25.7066667+00:00

Okay @LeelaRajeshSayana-MSFT thanks a lot

Accepted answer

Khurram Rahim 1,841 Reputation points

2023-02-06T19:47:18.8333333+00:00

No, you cannot use the Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) protocol with the Azure Kinect examples to send data to a mobile app, as the Azure Kinect does not have built-in support for BLE. The Azure Kinect primarily uses USB connectivity to transfer data to a computer for processing.

If you want to send the coordinates of the detected points to a mobile app, you can consider using other communication protocols, such as Wi-Fi or cellular, to send the data to the mobile app. You can also use cloud services like Azure IoT Hub or Azure Event Hubs to receive and process the data, and then expose it to the mobile app using a mobile backend service like Azure Mobile Apps or Azure Functions.
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wajih youssef 40 Reputation points

2023-02-08T14:42:43.2133333+00:00

Hello @Khurram Rahim and thanks for your answer,

what about UART for example, can I send data using that to an external MCU ? and then I'll find a way to send the data from that external MCU to the app
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1 additional answer

LeelaRajeshSayana-MSFT 13,471 Reputation points

2023-02-06T19:34:13.0333333+00:00

Hello @wajih youssef , Greetings! Apologies for keeping you waiting this long to provide an update on this. I checked with the product team, and they gave me the below feedback.

Unfortunately, Azure Kinect DK device does not have a Bluetooth module embedded into it. Hence the device cannot communicate using Bluetooth Protocol.

Hope this answers your question. Please let us know if you need any additional assistance on this issue.
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wajih youssef 40 Reputation points

2023-02-08T14:40:20.54+00:00

Hello @LeelaRajeshSayana-MSFT and thanks for your answer,

okay so, do you suggest another way of sending data to an external app or to an external MCU like using UART would that work ? thank you
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