There are several different ways you can control you robotic creation. All of them require you to operate your robot “headless”, i.e. without a screen and keyboard attached. You will need to deal with the following issues to start with:
- Setting up your Raspberry Pi on your local wifi network.
- Ensuring that SSH is enabled. This can be done by placing an ssh file in the boot folder of your Pi’s SD card. Detailed information about SSH and remote access can be found here.
- How to start your program at start-up time on a Raspberry Pi (check the boot.pdf file from that page).
In terms of suggesting controllers you can buy, here are a few to get you started:
- PlayStation 4 Dual Shock 4 (PS4 DS4) Controller – connects via Bluetooth
- PlayStation 3 Controller – connects via Bluetooth
- WiiMote – connects via Bluetooth. These are slightly more difficult to find nowadays, but can be found on eBay.
- BlueDot – connect your mobile phone to your Pi via Bluetooth and your fingers as an analog control device
- Keyboard – with a laptop connected via SSH to the Raspberry Pi, you can control it using the keyboard. Alternatively, a wireless dongle from a wireless keyboard can be used to make the connection, but you will need a way to automatically start your code to accept the input.