[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OVKDpcgyFEk]

A group of students from The University of California, San Diego created a motor control shield for the BeagleBone Black. The shield can be used in projects like self-balancing vehicles (as shown in the video above), drones, or robots. Amy Szeto from Texas Instruments was demoing the board on the floor of International CES 2014 along with a few other maker-friendly products. The self-balancing ‘bot project served as an early prototype for the WowWee’s iPhone-controlled MiP robot, which was also unveiled at CES. (See correction below.)

Students from UC San Diego’s embedded control and robotics class each built up their own MiP using the kit. If you’re looking to buy your own kit or breakout board, it will be available within a few months through Sparkfun and other distributors.

Correction: The video and article above are incorrect in that the BealgeBone version of MiP was not the prototype for the consumer version. Saam Ostovari, PhD student in the Coordinated Robotics Lab at UCSD explains: