This glove can translate sign language into text and audio

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Maker designs a smart glove that translates sign language from hand gestures into visual text on a screen and audible dialog.

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In an effort to improve communication between people with different disabilities, designer Hadeel Ayoub has developed a smart glove capable of converting sign language into readable text and audio.

The aptly named SignLanguageGlove works by using several flex sensors attached to the fingers that record their position, while an accelerometer​ detects which way the glove is oriented. Built around the mighty Arduino, all of the collected data is fed into a computer program that identifies the gestures and displays the correct output.

Ayoub, who is also a student at Goldsmiths, University of London, has gone through a series of prototypes with each version less clunky than the one before. The original model, which looked like a bunch of wires attached to a winter glove, consisted of five flex sensors, an Arduino board and a four digit graphic numerical display. It worked by interpreting the user’s gestures and translating them into visual letters on a screen.

The second iteration was a bit faster, more durable, and featured smaller hardware. The Maker incorporated a LilyPad Arduino (ATmega328) and tinier flex sensors, as well as revamped the software to allow text to scroll on a screen, deleting the old and adding the new.

Her latest piece incorporates a text-to-speech chip with the majority of equipment sewn into the lining of what appears to be a Rawlings batting glove. She is currently working towards integrating a language translation function into the system, too. This way, when finished with her next prototype (dubbed ​Reach All​), a user will be able to connect to a smartphone via an embedded Wi-Fi module. The motions will then be relayed wirelessly and translated in real-time through its accompanying app.

Pretty amazing stuff, right? You can head over to the Maker’s Tumblr page to see the progression of her work.

The Arduino Wi-Fi Shield 101 is now available

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This Wi-Fi shield is based on the ATWINC1500 module, and wirelessly connects your Arduino to the Internet.

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A year after breaking the news at Maker Faire New York, the Arduino Wi-Fi Shield 101 is now available for purchase on the Arduino Store.

The low-cost ($49.90) shield is an easy-to-use extension that can be seamlessly attached to any Arduino or Genuino board enabling high-performance Wi-Fi connectivity. This device provides the design community with more opportunities to securely connect their IoT applications, ranging from consumer goods to wearables and robotics.

“In this increasingly connected world, the Arduino Wi-Fi Shield 101 will help drive more inventions in the IoT market,” Massimo Banzi explained. “Expanding our portfolio of Arduino extensions, this new shield can flawlessly connect to any modern Arduino board giving our community more options for connectivity, along with added security elements to their creative projects.”

The Arduino Wi-Fi Shield 101 makes connecting with a wireless network super simple, with no further configuration in addition to the SSID and password required. What’s more, it comes with an easy-to-follow Wi-Fi library that allows you to write sketches that link to the Internet using the shield.

The board itself is based on the Atmel SmartConnect WINC1500 module, compliant with the IEEE 802.11 b/g/n standard. This network controller features an integrated TCP/IP stack, TLS security and SoftAP for seamless provisioning. On top of that, the Arduino Wi-Fi Shield 101 boasts an ATECC508A CryptoAuthentication chip for enhanced security.

It should be noted that this is the first Arduino product fully supporting SSL, as well as all the communication between your board and their secured server. With the power of the Arduino Zero (SAMD21) and the Wi-Fi Shield 101, Makers can now develop secure IoT applications using the highly popular Arduino Language.

“A working example and instructions on how to get started are available on Arduino Cloud, a work-in-progress project that gives you access to a pre-configured MQTT server for your IoT sketches using only your Arduino account. More examples and features will be available in the next months,” Arduino adds.

Interested? Head over to the Arduino Wi-Fi Shield 101’s official page here.

Pebblebee Stone is a shortcut button for your everyday life

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The Stone is a two-in-one device, combining the possibilities of a multi-function button with the helpfulness of a tracker.

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No matter how efficiently a person may think they manage their daily lives, it is inevitable that at some point they will find an item to be out of place — whether that’s forgetting where they put their keys, leaving a backpack behind at the coffee shop, or learning that their pet has wandered away from home. Fortunately, one Seattle-based startup has devised a simple Bluetooth tracker that’ll come to the rescue when such scenarios should arise. What’s more, the device not only tags things to be found later, but helps simplify everyday tasks.

With a motion sensor and range finder incorporated into the Stone, a user will have a peace of mind knowing that their beloved things are safe and sound, just where they left them. Aside from its location-based capabilities, the pocket-sized gizmo packs a temperature sensor for measuring ambient temperatures, which can warn a user of things like whether their car is too hot in the morning or if the wine cellar isn’t at the appropriate climate. Beyond that, the gadget can be employed to receive real-time, localized weather information — since apps are typically generalized by city.

“We have tens of thousands of active Pebblebee users growing on a daily basis. The best part is now you don’t need our app running in order to locate your lost items! Anytime someone with the app just installed on their phone passes within range of your Pebblebee, you’ll get notified with the location pinned on your map. This essentially expands your reach to anywhere in the world,” its creators explain.

However, what truly sets this tracker apart from countless others on the market is an integrated button that serves as a shortcut for anything a smartphone app would typically do. This can be initiating a call, sending a text while driving, taking a selfie with friends, sending an alert when in danger, ordering a pizza, or triggering an IFTTT recipe such as locking the front door and turning on the outside lights. Users easily create these recipes using the incredibly popular online platform and the accompanying Pebblebee Stone app.

With regards to the “Einstein of all buttons,” the app can be configured in one of three different ways. Users can either manually select actions whenever the button is pressed, preset it to automatically change based on the time of day, or activate the so-called ‘smart mode’ that learns a user’s preferences and habits over time, then adapts accordingly.

“Choose from thousands of button recipes, or craft your own. Launch your GPS app and send a pinned location. Control your Spotify playlist. Send a text when you’re running late. The recipe possibilities are endless,” the team adds.

As for its hardware, the Stone is equipped with a Bluetooth Low Energy module, a motion and an on-chip diode temperature sensor, a momentary push button, a 3V Li-ion battery, and of course, an Atmel AT24C512C to handle its memory. These electronics are all housed inside a rugged, water resistant ABS shell. Meanwhile, the unit is powered by iBeacon, which allows your smartphone to detect your Stone and automatically interact with it regardless of whether the Pebblebee app is running.

Are you prone to losing things or merely a worrywart? The Stone, which is currently live on Kickstarter, comes in three colors: glacier white, cascade grey and onyx black. Those interested can head over to its official campaign page here.

Recreate the weather forecast from right inside your living room

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The Tempescope is an ambient display that can visualize various weather conditions inside a box.

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In today’s tech-savvy world, sure you could always download a weather app or turn on the news to check the latest conditions, but what fun is that? Instead, Ken Kawamoto has developed an ambient physical display that can actually visualize the forecast right from the comfort of your living room, reminding you to never forget an umbrella as you head off to work. Initially released three years ago as an open source project, the Maker and his team have since decided to launch a crowdfunding campaign following an overwhelming interest in their design.

While most home weather displays boast an LED screen or other methods of revealing what’s going on outside your front door, Tempescope literally recreates the forecast from your bookshelf, coffee table, desk or wherever else. Described as like “having a window that lets you look at tomorrow’s sky,” the active gadget is powered by an ATmega328 and equipped with a water pump, an ultrasound mist diffuser and a series of LED lights, all concealed inside a clear acrylic box.

With an AVR chip as its brains, the microcosm in a box interfaces with a PC either through USB or over Bluetooth. Currently, there are three modes of operation: one that animates the next day’s forecast, one that replicates the current weather of any location and shares it with loved ones throughout the globe, as well as another that lets you manually define an animation sequence to play.

Once it is synced up, a simple software program is tasked with retrieving the necessary data from the web which it uses to reproduce real raindrops and clouds, simulate thunderstorms and lightning, as well as emit radiant sunshine. The LEDs change from red to blue to reflect things such as sunrise/sunset and storms, whereas the diffuser will fill the box with mist to match the level of cloud cover outside. For example, if it happens to be raining, the pump will pull water from the lower reservoir and drip it down from the Tempescope’s ceiling, while its embedded lights will emit a purplish hue.

What’s more, you can employ its accompanying app to operate three preset modes or use its SDK to create your own custom program. Meaning, you can set the weather to fit your mood because, after all, everyone loves reading on a rainy day. Want this ambient unit for your household? Head over to its Indiegogo campaign, where Kawamoto is currently seeking $398,000. The first batch of Tempescopes will ship in April 2016 — just in time for those spring showers!

MixStik will help you make the perfect cocktail in seconds

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MixStik is an interactive wand that guides you through cocktail recipes using color-coded LEDs.

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Admittedly, some of us are just not cut out to be bartenders. The idea of having to mix various ingredients, let alone measure the right amounts, can be overwhelming. But what if there was a simple tool that could help ease this pain and have you whip up the perfect cocktail every time? Thanks to Magnified Self, that may soon be a reality. Meet MixStik.

From the creators of the B4RM4N smart cocktail shaker, this lightsaber-like device works by guiding you through the mixology process with variously-colored LEDs that light up to the level which you need to pour. Essentially a less bulky, more user-friendly iteration of its predecessor, MixStik goes inside a glass and connects with its accompanying smartphone app via Bluetooth. From there, you can choose your desired drink, calibrate it from a selection of different glass sizes, and then proceed to follow the instructions on your phone and the wand.

Beginning at the bottom and working your way up, the MixStik’s LEDs will illuminate instructing you to add the right amount of each ingredient, respectively. For instance, it will glow yellow for an ounce of tequila, green for a lime juice, blue for ice and red for some grenadine, until you’ve completed your delicious concoction, whether that’s a Tom Collins, a Mojito or a Bloody Mary. MixStik will even suggest which cocktails you can make based on the bottles of alcohol you have handy.

Aside from its 24 embedded RBG LEDs, the gadget features with an ARM Cortex-M0+ core, Bluetooth 4.0 connectivity and a USB port for recharging its Li-ion battery. Impressively, one smartphone can drive up to five sticks — certainly great news for the sociable sort who likes to throw parties. MixStik even also has small rubber spikes at its bottom tip to provide you with a a better grip and act as a muddler to squish mint and other soft ingredients. It can, of course, be used to stir the mix as well.

Streamlining a drink’s recipe is only one of MixStik’s capabilities, though. The developers have created an open API, which will enable users to tinker around with the wand’s light functions and motions sensors. Equipped with a three-axis accelerometer, this opens up endless possibilities from interactive lightsabers to drinking games to fashion accessories. Not to mention, simply enter text and use the in-app camera settings to capture some beautiful light painting.

Sound like your cup of (Long Island Iced) tea? Head over to Kickstarter, where the Magnified Self team is seeking $39,000. From the look of things, MixStik has already experienced much greater success than B4RM4N and is well on its way to surpassing its pledge goal. Delivery is expected to begin March 2016.

Unique can turn any watch into a smartwatch

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This strap discretely adds smart features to any ‘dumb’ watch.

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Smartwatches are pretty useful — but despite advancements in technology, a lot of us still value the look and feel of a traditional or classic timepiece. If you wish you could keep your Rolex watch yet also have some of today’s connected features, the makers of Unique have good news for you.

The brainchild of Polish startup uBirds, Unique is a luxury, handmade strap that replaces your watch’s original strap and transforms it into a smartwatch. It gives you the best of both worlds — the look of your favorite wrist-worn accessory with all the capabilities of modern-day devices.

Hidden in the strap lies a discreet multi-color LED, vibration alerts and gesture recognition, allowing you to receive notifications, reject calls, send pre-written texts, monitor your fitness, store your passes and even be reminded if you leave your phone behind. On top of all that, it can all be customized to a wearer’s liking.

With cutting edge technology, Unique integrates electronic components into the strap so the functions aren’t visible on the strap itself. What’s nice is that the unit still fits nicely with any conventional timepiece, meaning any treasured heirloom or precision chronograph can be turned into an IoT-friendly gadget. Leveraging gesture recognition, users can now control their phone directly from the strap, as well as integrate near field communication.

Once connected via Bluetooth, users can configure their strap’s capabilities and displayed information using its accompanying app. According to its creators, this includes everything from programming the NFC tag with your business card, hotel room key or gym membership to tracking fitness goals and counting calories with every step.

As for battery power, Unique can run for two to three days with frequent use. Charging is simple, too — just give the watch strap a boost using its included wireless inductive charger. Interested? Then it’s ‘time’ to check out their Kickstarter page, where they are currently seeking $50,000. Delivery is slated for sometime in April 2016.

This wearable device lets you touch your virtual reality world

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UnlimitedHand is the world’s first video game controller with newly-developed haptic feedback technology.

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It’s safe to say that virtual reality has grown leaps and bounds in recent years; however, despite these advancements, one thing that has been lacking was an interface that actually let you ’touch’ the VR world. This is exactly what one Tokyo-based startup set out to develop.

The team over at H2L has created what they’re calling the world’s first video game controller that enables you to feel things as if they existed in your real environment. UnlimitedHand is essentially a haptic sensor that goes around your arm and syncs with your hand to interact with onscreen objects.

Through Bluetooth, the wearable contraption delivers your finger and arm movements to the game while receiving data back that is felt in the form of haptic feedback. In other words, you will be able to grab, push, throw, hit and manipulate your digital surroundings as if you were really there.

The device, which straps around your forearm like an Ace bandage, is equipped with a muscle sensor, a 3D motion sensor, a multi-channel electronic muscle stimulator (EMS) and a vibration motor. The embedded motion and muscle sensors are tasked with recognizing user input, just like any other haptic gadget. UnlimitedHand then stimulates your muscles through EMS, controlling your fingers and hands while mirroring what’s happening in the game. By integrating this technology into the accessory, you will be able to ‘feel’ whatever your character experiences.

What will surely be appealing to developers, UnlimitedHand has made it easy to integrate with existing games through Unity plug-ins. Furthermore, its circuit is also Arduino-compatible, allowing Makers to hack it for a wide range of other applications. Whether it’s feeling the strings of a virtual guitar as it’s being played or commanding a robotic arm, the possibilities are endless. Intrigued? Head over to its Kickstarter campaign, which has already garnered well over its asking goal of $20,000. Units are expected to begin shipping in March 2016

FLYBi is an autonomous drone that gives you a firsthand flying experience

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Ever wonder what it would be like to experience flying like a bird? Well, now you can with FLYBi’s innovative head-tracker goggles.

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Operating a drone can be a daunting task for many folks, especially for novices looking to get started. Luckily, one Silicon Valley startup is hoping to ease the troubles by automating several aspects of the piloting process. The so-called FLYBi can easily take off, soar through the sky and land autonomously with barely any human intervention. What’s more, it can fly back to its home base and swap out its batteries when depleted.

FLYBi is equipped with many of the same features found in today’s more popular ‘copters, including a remote control, an accompanying app and a 12MP camera capable of recording 1080 HD video. However, that’s where all of the comparisons end, as its creators have specifically designed their system to take UAVs to new heights.

FLYBi’s camera is installed on a gimbal connected to a head-tracking unit which can be controlled using nothing more than the movement of your head. These head-tracker goggles offer an unparalleled bird’s-eye view of the UAV with a real-time video stream that’s sent to a pair of LCDs built inside the glasses. It should be noted, though, that FLYBi is limited to 55-degree rotation to keep you from getting disoriented.

What’s even cooler is that you can command FLYBi using a lightweight, water-resistant and adjustable wearable device. This wrist-worn controller consists of a small joystick and a set of buttons dedicated for taking off, hovering, snapping pictures and returning back to its Helideck base/landing. Plus, there’s a 1.8-inch display made of anti-glare glass that lets you watch your drone while in-flight.

As expected, flight range is limited when using its RC and video function. You can remotely control your drone from up to two or so miles, while streaming by phone and bracelet is limited to 2,000 feet and a mile, respectively. FLYBi connects its internal data storage to its cloud server via Wi-Fi when it lands. From there, you can modify and share them as you please.

Using its companion app, you can also configure your own flight path. Once set, the drone will follow your specified route, adjusting its course if and when it encounters an obstacle. From takeoff to landing, nearly everything about the drone can be performed automatically making it easy for new users to experience flying a UAV with little to no learning curve. Advanced users can disable the autonomous feature.

What’s more, FLYBi will return back to its base without your help. When docked, the Helideck rapidly charges the drone and even changes out its own batteries. Not just a landing platform, this unit serves as storage as well. Everything folds up nicely into one case, which can be thrown around your shoulders as a backpack.

Intrigued? Fly over to its Indiegogo campaign, where the FLYBi team is currently seeking $100,000. Delivery is slated for June 2016.

The OwnWatch is a Arduino-compatible smartwatch

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Maker creates a fully hackable, Arduino-compatible smartwatch based on the Atmel | SMART SAM D21. 

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Moritz Wenzel has emerged once again, this time with the latest iteration of his Arduino-compatible, software and hardware expandable DIY smartwatch. An upgrade of his earlier device, Tardis, the OwnWatch is completely hackable and enables Makers to connect their Arduino projects with both the wearable itself along with its paired smartphone via Bluetooth.

“Currently, every company on the market [has] built their own smartwatch, nice small devices that makes your life a little bit easier and more comfortable. But for a Maker, a hacker, a hobbyist or a nerd who loves hackable devices and creating own projects, these ‘boring’ smartwatches are no real alternative,” Wenzel explains.

For the OwnWatch, the Maker improved upon Tardis’ original housing and its hardware, most notably by replacing its ATmega32U4 core with an Atmel | SMART SAM D21 Cortex-M0+ MCU and providing additional BLE support thanks to a new dual mode Bluetooth module. Aside from that, the wearable is packed with a plethora of sensors, including a gyroscope and accelerometer, three temperature sensors, a pressure sensor and an ambient light sensor.

Meanwhile, power is supplied by a 180mAh LiPo battery, and audio can be emitted through its built-in speaker or a set of headphones. OwnWatch is equipped with two tactile buttons that allow a wearer to navigate through the main menu and switch between various functions like the time, calculator, image viewer and settings, as well as return to the home screen. A pair of programmable indicator LEDs can also be found on its frontside.

Intrigued? Follow along with the Maker’s progress on his project page here.

The smallest, lowest power Bluetooth Smart solution has arrived

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The Atmel SmartConnect Bluetooth platform delivers the industry’s lowest power, smallest footprint and most integrated system solution on the market. 

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Earlier this year, we unveiled an ultra-low power Bluetooth Smart solution for the burgeoning Internet of Things. And now, we’re excited to announce that the Atmel SmartConnect BTLC1000 is shipping in production quantities.

Consuming less than 4mA in RX and less than 3mA TX at 3.6V, the industry’s lowest power, smallest footprint Bluetooth Smart solution is capable of increasing battery life by as much as one year or more for certain applications. Pushing the limits of space constrained areas, the BTLC1000 boasts an unprecedented 2.2mm x 2.1mm Wafer Level Chipscale Package (WLCSP) — significantly smaller than any other on the market today. This, of course, makes it ideal for the rapidly growing IoT and wearables spaces, including portable medical equipment, activity trackers, human Interface devices and gaming controllers. What’s more, the tiny solution supports beacons and other application standards for leading smartphone operating systems.

For those unfamiliar with the BTLC1000, the ultra-low power Bluetooth Smart SoC features an integrated Atmel | SMART ARM Cortex-M0 MCU and Bluetooth transceiver. The device can be used as a BLE link controller that connects as a companion to any Atmel AVR or Atmel | SMART MCU. Plus, it can even be employed as a standalone apps processor with embedded BLE connectivity and external memory.

In addition to all that, the BTLC1000 can come as a production-ready and fully-certified module for FCC ETSI/CE and IC regulations, thereby facilitating product design and reducing overall time-to-market.

Atmel’s BTLC1000 can be powered by a number of different battery types, ranging from coin cell, AA and AAA to Lithium polymer, without the need for external power management circuitry. The SoC utilizes an innovative radio and DSP architecture that delivers extremely low power consumption along with high performance, as well as provides a cost-effective solution for many Bluetooth Smart-based applications by integrating the BLE Radio and Baseband with an ARM Cortex-M0 MCU. The need for very few external components minimizes the total system solution cost.

To accelerate a designer’s development, an all-inclusive BTLC1000 XSTK starter kit is now available ($99) to evaluate the Atmel BTLC1000 with the Atmel | SMART SAM L21 Xplained PRO host MCU evaluation board. Beyond that, the BTLC1000 XPRO extension board ($25) can be ordered individually and can be plugged into any of the supported Atmel host MCU Xplained boards to easily add Bluetooth Smart connectivity.