Rolling MCUs, connectivity, security and software into one wearable package

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This Android-based, Bluetooth-enabled wearable badge can act as a compass, watch, slideshow app, battery gauge and more.

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Did you know that 45.7 million wearable devices are expected to ship this year, up 133.4% from the 19.6 million units shipped in 2014? And by 2019, reports are calling for shipment volumes to reach 126.1 million units, resulting in a five-year CAGR of 45.1. Given this emergence of body-adorned technology, the need for a hardware and software-based turnkey solution has never been so paramount. With this in mind, Atmel has unveiled the first-ever wearable solution that integrates its broad solutions offering all rolled into one.

Just in time for Computex 2015, the company has designed a 7cm x 9cm demonstrator around a smart badge concept, which combines low-power embedded processing, wireless, touch and sensor technologies to form an unparalleled turnkey system for virtually any type of wearable application.

This demonstrator converges hardware and software technologies, from Atmel and its partners, into a highly optimized and comprehensive out-of-the-box solution that addresses the complex requirements for the burgeoning wearable market, all while bringing their designs quickly to market. Users can wear it around their neck and display different applications (compass, watch, spirit level, slide show, battery gauge) specialized for the Andriod operating system (OS) and made by Adeneo Embedded.

“Adeneo Embedded has a long standing partnership with Atmel on Linux, Windows Embedded and more recently Android porting activities for AT91SAM ARM based MPUs,” said Yannick Chammings, Adeneo Embedded CEO. “With the collaboration on the Smart Badge concept, implementing Android-based wearable scenarios, Adeneo Embedded will scale OS and SW support to OEMs developing smart, connected, wearable devices.”

Based on Atmel’s embedded connectivity, the demonstrator can interact with other Android mobile phones. The badge uses a 3.5-inch display from Precision Design Associates and embeds MEMS and sensor technology from Bosch Sensortec, as well as memory multi-chip package from Micron combining 4Gb of LPDDR2 + 4GB of eMMC in a single package demonstrator running on the Android KitKat OS. Beyond that, Atmel is also developing a software framework that will allow various software partners to plug in their software and seamlessly work together.

With the anticipated growth of the wearable space, designers are continually seeking solutions that combine all the necessary and complex technologies into a simple, ready-to-use solution, enabling designers to focus on differentiating their products. The Smart Badge is the first demonstrator to bring together the company’s ultra-low power Atmel | SMART SAMA5D31 MPU, the Atmel | SMART SAM G54 sensor hub solution, a maXTouch mXT112S controller and a SmartConnect WILC3000 Wi-Fi/Bluetooth integrated solution.

“Atmel possesses the most complete, lowest power technology portfolio for wearable devices worldwide,” explains Vince Murdica, who is responsible for Atmel’s sensor-centric business unit. “Atmel’s Smart Badge is the first of many wearable reference designs and platforms to come as we want to ensure when customers think wearables, they think Atmel. We are very focused and excited to help accelerate the growth of the wearable market with turnkey, low power, complete hardware and software solutions.”

Watch the badge in action below!

maXTouch U family opens up a world of possibilities for next-gen devices

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This new controller family will make touchscreen devices less frustrating and more enjoyable to use.

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It’s safe to say that touchscreens have surely come a long way since Dr. Samuel C.Hurst at the University of Kentucky debuted the first electronic touch interface back in 1971. Despite their ubiquity today in just about every device, the technology doesn’t seem to always work as well as it should given recent advancements. As VentureBeat’s Dean Takahashi points out, displays remain frustratingly unresponsive to finger taps, consume a lot of power, and quite frankly, are still pretty bulky — until now.

That’s because Atmel has launched a next generation of sensor chips that will pave the way to much better (and more delightful) tactile experiences for gadgets ranging from 1.2” smartwatch screens to 10.1” tablet displays. Following in the footsteps of its older siblings, the new maXTouch U family will enable optimal performance, power consumption leveraging picoPower technology, and of course, thinner screens.

More apparent than ever before, the use of touch-enabled machinery has exploded over the past five years. As a result, there has been an ever-growing need to develop touchscreens with extremely high touch performance, ultra-low power and more sophisticated industrial designs with thinner screens. Not to mention, the anticipated surge in wearables has also created a demand for extremely small touchscreen controllers with ultra-low power consumption in tiny packaging. Luckily, this is now all possible thanks to the maXTouch U family which crams pure awesomeness in a 2.5-millimeter by 2.6-millimeter space (WLCSP).

Designers can now build extremely innovative thin and flexible touchscreen designs using single layer, on-cell and hybrid in-cell touchscreens with intelligent wake-up gestures and buttons. What this means is that, the technology can support entry-level smartphones, slick wearable gizmos, super tablets and everything in between on a full range of stack-ups.

Among the most notable features of the U include low power modes down to 10µW in deep sleep for wearables such as smartwatches, active stylus support, 1.0-millimeter passive stylus support (so users can write with things like pencils on a touchscreen), as well as up to a 20-millimeter hover distance (so that a user can answer their phone call with a wet hand). What’s more, the touch controllers can sense water and reject it as a touch action, and works with multiple fingers — even if someone is wearing gloves.

Binay Bajaj, Atmel Senior Director of Touch Marketing, explains that the recently-revelaed series provides all the necessary building blocks for futuristic mobile gadgetry. The chips are available in samples today, while production versions will be ready in the third and fourth quarters.

“Our expertise in ultra-low power MCUs and innovative touch engineering have allowed us to bring a superior series of devices to market that is truly an innovative collection to drive next-generation touchscreens. We are a leading provider of touchscreen devices to a variety of markets adopting capacitive touchscreens,” Bajaj adds.

Let’s take a closer look at the six new maXTouch U devices:

• mXT735U is the perfect device for the entry level tablet delivering robust moisture support and excellent noise immunity for touchscreens up to 10.1″.
• mXT640U supports touchscreens up to 6 inches. This device supports 1mm passive stylus support and thin stack support including 0.4mm cover lens for GFF stack, up to 25mm hover detection and moisture resistance.
• mXT416U delivers extremely high touch performance including 2.5mm passive stylus, excellent moisture support, noise immunity and up to 30mm large finger touch detection.
• mXT336U is targeted for mid-range smartphone applications, delivering a perfect balance between performance and form factor.
• mXT308U is geared towards low-end smartphone applications emphasizing simplicity and robustness.
• mXT144U is designed specifically for wearable applications. The mXT144U features picoPower with 10uW in deep sleep mode and is the smallest hybrid sensing touchscreen controller packaged in a 2.5mm x 2.6mm WLCSP. This device is the ideal solution for today and tomorrow’s wearable devices.

MakerCamp builds weeklong Makerspace at Maker Faire Shenzhen

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30 Makers will create a Makerspace inside a freight container.

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When it comes to Makerspaces, one thing we’ve learned in recent years is that these can range from abandoned 80,000-square-foot warehouses to mobile pop-up shops in the back of a van. Typically speaking, launching such a place requires the rallying of Makers, strategically determining a location, acquiring a variety of tools like 3D printers and basic electronics, and of course, time. However, one group is looking to accelerate this process by cramming it all into one week with limited resources.

Beginning on June 12th, Makers from across the world will take part in building an actual Makerspace in Shenzhen out of a freight container, as well as populating the teched-out trailer with exciting educational workshops — in just seven days. Dubbed MakerCamp Shenzhen, the project is a collaboration between Berlin-based HacKIDemia and the Chaihuo Makerspace.

The container itself will sit on the site of the upcoming Maker Faire Shenzhen, the heart of China’s burgeoning Maker Movement. This weeklong summer camp will provide 30 participants with unparalleled access to experienced mentors, various materials and Shenzhen’s most established DIYers to take their projects and skills to the next level. In addition to simply constructing the space, there will be a couple days worth of workshops alongside some of the world’s leading Makers, including Autodesk’s Dawn Danby, Quirky’s Jordan Husney, Maker Faire’s Kevin Lau and Tinkerspace’s Lynn Liu.

“Makerspaces are ideal places for Makers to not only get access to tools, but also to meet like-minded people and further their DIY education. However, many communities particularly in China, are still lacking Makerspace, and often times the startup cost is prohibitive,” explains Stefania Druga, founder of HacKIDemia. “MakerCamp, on the other hand, shows communities like Shenzhen that it is possible to build a Makerspace, and a successful curriculum around it with limited resources.”

In just its second MakerCamp, HacKIDemia has already begun to attract attention from the DIY community on a global scale. Last summer, the team put on a monthlong camp in Berlin which attracted over 15 participants spanning across several countries.

“After working with makers in the most remote parts of the world as part of HacKIDemia and Afrimakers, a community for makers in Africa,  I realized that local communities would like to create affordable makerspaces and they don’t know how to get started. This is how we got the idea to use shipping containers which can be sourced everywhere and design, build and document the most affordable makerspace where makers from all over the world can create a space that inspires them to tinker,” Druga adds.

The weeklong event (June 12-18th) will take place in the week leading up to Maker Faire Shenzhen. Interested? You can head over to MakerCamp’s page here.

Introducing the new Atmel | SMART SAM C family

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Atmel unveils an innovative 5V Cortex-M0+ MCU series with integrated peripheral touch controller.

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Say hello to the Atmel | SMART SAM C family, the world’s first full 5V ARM Cortex-M0+-based MCU series with an integrated peripheral touch controller (PTC). The newest batch of MCUs innovatively combines 5V, DMA performance and a PTC with excellent moisture tolerance. Beyond that, the devices integrate advanced analog capability and offer EMI and ESD protection, making them ideal for the rapidly expanding smart appliance and industrial markets.

Atmel | SMART microcontrollers with PTC are currently in mass production at leading appliance manufacturers worldwide. By adding full 5V functionality on an ARM Cortex M0+ based core, along with upcoming support for the IEC 60730 Class B Safety Library, the SAM C lineup — including the SAM C20 and CAM C21 — is the perfect solution for partnering with industrial and white goods companies to power next-generation applications for the burgeoning Internet of Things.

Leveraging over two decades of MCU success, the latest series incorporates Atmel’s proprietary smart peripherals and Event System, not to mention are also pin and code-compatible to the SAM D and SAM L families. The SAM C is fully supported by Atmel’s free integrated development environment Atmel Studio and program examples and drivers for all peripherals are available through the Atmel Software Framework.

“Atmel leverages its leadership position in both MCU and touch with the new SAM C series,” explained Reza Kazerounian, Atmel SVP and GM, Microcontroller Business Unit. “The SAM C series uniquely combines support for 5V on a Cortex-M0+ based MCU with an integrated PTC, bringing an industry-first product to market for next-generation industrial and appliance applications.”

Among the notable features of the SAM C:

• Expands the ARM Cortex-M0+ based MCU with hardware divide and square root accelerator at 48MHz
• Large memories with SRAM up to 32KB and embedded Flash up to 256KB
• Supports 2.7V to 5.5V operating voltage
• Integrates the Atmel QTouch Peripheral Touch Controller
• Incorporates Atmel’s proprietary DMA with SleepWalking, Event System and SERCOM
• Dual 12-bit ADCs and a 16-bit Sigma Delta ADC
• Dual CAN 2.0 with FD support

To help accelerate a designer’s development, the SAM C21 Xplained Pro is now selling for just $39. These boards include an embedded debugger and programmer and have a wide range of compatible extensions units. Standalone programmer debugger solutions supporting the SAM C family are also available from both Atmel and third parties.

Happy Geek Pride Day!

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May 25th may be the geekiest day of the year — and we love it! 

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Celebrated annually on the 25th of May, Geek Pride Day is a global initiative to promote all things geek.

Nowadays, a “geek” is typically defined as a person who is very interested in and knows a lot about a particular field or activity, such as computers and engineering. However, the first documented case of the name dates all the way back to 1916, where the term was used to describe, yes, sideshow freaks in circuses — specifically, those circus performers who were known for doing crazy things.

The word itself derived from “geck,” which was originally a Low German word referring to someone who is a fool, freak or simpleton. Over the years, though, the phrase would evolve and separate into various categories, ranging from science and math to gaming geeks.

As Wikipedia notes, technologically-oriented geeks, especially, now exert a powerful influence over the global economy and society. Whereas previous generations of these individuals tended to operate in research departments, laboratories and support functions, today they increasingly occupy senior corporate positions, and wield considerable commercial and political power.

In recent years, “geek chic” would find itself at the center of pop culture, as a fashion trend that stereotypically highlighted “nerdier” fashions, ranging from oversized black horn-rimmed glasses to suspenders. In the wake of this movement, the term was appropriated by some self-identified “geeks” making reference to a new, socially acceptable role in a technologically advanced society.

As a way to pay homage to our beloved and extremely passionate friends, GPD originated in Spain as “Día del Orgullo Friki” back in 2006, ultimately spreading around the world via the Internet. The date was specifically chosen as a way to commemorate the 1977 release of Star Wars, although it famously shares the same date as two other similar fan holidays: Towel Day, (The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy trilogy by Douglas Adams) and the Glorious 25th of May (Terry Pratchett’s Discworld).

And truth be told, everyone has some geek in them. In fact, IT recruitment agency Modis has conducted an annual Geek Pride survey in honor of the special occasion, which collected the thoughts of more than 1,000 American adults. According to one of its latest studies, the majority of people (87%) are proud of their geeky hobbies, while more than half of respondents (60%) are interested in wearable technology, with 56% specifically interested in their Urkel-like smart glasses.

To mark this glorious occasion, we here at Atmel have created a rather nifty infographic. So, check it out above!

Tah is a LEGO block for the Internet of Things

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Tah is an open-source dev board that lets Makers create their own projects and connect them to their mobile device.

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Developed by Indian startup Revealing Hour Creations, Tah is an Arduino-compatible, open-source development board that helps Makers build their own smart projects and connect them to their mobile device over Bluetooth Low Energy. Designed for use as a beacon, a microcontroller and an HID device, the platform employs a smartphone’s built-in accelerometer, gyroscope and other sensors to trigger events in the physical world.

Embedded with an ATmega32U4, Makers can easily apply their Arduino programming skills to the Tah. The megaAVR MCU at its heart features on-board USB 2.0 support, which directly programs the Tah without the need of a USB-to-Serial converter. In addition, the board can act as a USB human interface device (HID), thus enabling a user to devise their own keyboard, mouse, joystick, or other input devices without having to install special software on the host computer.

“We’ve already made sample applications that allow you to control your PC, Mac, Linux, PlayStation and Xbox (coming soon) without ever needing to write any code for those platforms — all you need to do is program your Tah board and make a smartphone app, for which we’ve also provided open source examples for both iOS and Android to get you started,” its creators add.

Each Tah can serve as a Bluetooth beacon as well, which communicates a smartphone to reveal its exact location based on its unique identifier — something that can be quite useful for indoor navigation and contextual notifications.

And what’s more, the open-source board is expandable through a relay and sensor, IR transceiver and Arduino Uno breakout shields. For instance, a user can devise a universal remote for their smart appliances or control their gaming system right from their phone.

Late last year, Revealing Hour Creations launched a crowdfunding campaign for its project, where it quickly surpassed its initial pledge goal. If you’d like to get your hands on one, head on over to its CrowdSupply page here. Tah is now shipping to backers.

Going hands-on with the now-on-sale Arduino Zero

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It’s official! Makers in the U.S. can now buy the 32-bit Arduino board online. 

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In addition to a number of other announcements during his Maker Faire Bay Area “State of Arduino” address, Massimo Banzi had finally revealed the dates for the highly-anticipated Zero board to a standing-room only crowd. In fact, MAKE: Magazine would even go on to call it “one of the biggest pieces of news” from this year’s show and tell.

And now available (as of June 15th) for purchase within the United States, here’s a quick refresher on the 32-bit Arduino unit that is bound to become a Maker hit over the summer. While its form factor may share that of the Leonardo, the Zero boasts an Atmel | SMART SAM D21 ARM Cortex-M0+ core, enabling the board to run much faster and pack more of a punch than its 8-bit counterparts.

It’s also worth mentioning that the latest device offers users the ability to easily talk to the cloud, thanks to an increase in bits and clock cycles to deal with what’s coming in and going out. This allows Makers to bring their wildest (and smartest) Internet of Things projects to life. As the Wizard of Make Bob Martin explains, “You can do this with an 8-bit microcontroller, but sometimes with data streams, it’s like drinking from a firehose.”

Key hardware specs include 256KB of Flash, 32KB SRAM in a TQFP package and a clock speed of 48MHz. In comparison, the 8-bit Leonardo (ATmega32U4) comes with only 32KB of Flash, 2.5KB of SRAM and merely runs at 16MHz. One its other notable features is the Atmel Embedded Debugger (EDBG), which provides a full debug interface without the need for any supplemental hardware. EDBG supports a virtual COM port that can be used for device programming and traditional Arduino bootloader functionality, and is entirely compatible with Atmel Studio to give users the ability to import their sketches directly and do source-level debugging.

The Zero sports six analog and 14 digital pins, all of which except for the Rx/Tx pins can also serve as PWM pins. Meanwhile, the analog pins have a 12-bit ADC instead of the Leonardo’s 10-bit ADC, significantly improving analog resolution. Though the new board does not have EEPROM, it does support 16KB by emulation. In other words, Arduino sketches relying upon this feature will still run without any hiccups.

Upon receiving the board, a user may notice that that Zero’s silk includes an additional graphic element: the Genuino logo. (For those who may not know, Genuino — meaning “genuine” in Italian — is Arduino’s global sister brand.)

“We added the Genuino logo to the Arduino Zero to stress its authenticity, and to make it easier for the Arduino community to spot original boards. We are going to include this logo to all genuine Arduino boards from now on,” the crew says.

In tandem with its debut on the Arduino U.S. online store, the team has unveiled the Arduino IDE 1.6.5 with a bunch of enhancements as well as support for the Zero. This version of the incredibly popular IDE will keep the serial monitor open while uploading, an “Open Recent” menu that shows the last five opened sketches and a new modern editor, among many other improved elements.

Interested? Head over to the Zero’s official page here, where the board is currently going for $49.90. As you wait for its arrival, watch below as the Wizard of Make gives MAKE’s Alasdair Allan a hands-on demonstration.

Photos: Atmel @ Maker Faire Bay Area 2015

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And just like that, another flagship Maker Faire event has come to an end.

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From life-sized humanoids and stair-climbing robots to pancake printers and drum-playing pants, Maker Faire Bay Area 2015 had it all. Over the weekend, tinkerers, modders and hackers of all ages and skills flocked a jam-packed Atmel booth, which showcased a number of uber-cool demos under this year’s theme “From Makerspace to Makerplace.” Among those on display included 14-year-old Quin Etnyre, DrumPants, Zymbit, littleBits, Zippy Robotics, Primo and of course the heart of the Maker community, Arduino. When it came to gizmos and gadgets driven by versatile 8- and 32-bit AVR and Atmel | SMART MCUs, it didn’t stop within our exhibit. In fact, countless other DIYers throughout the fairegrounds proudly showed off their embedded projects as well.

Here’s a look back at the two-day show (and tell) in photos…

Arduino announces availability dates for the Zero and Wi-Fi Shield 101

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Massimo Banzi reveals a U.S. manufacturing partnership with Adafruit, a sister brand and the availability of its latest boards.

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Earlier this afternoon, the one-and-only Massimo Banzi took the Maker Faire stage for the highly-anticipated “State of Arduino” address. Undoubtedly, all of us have seen the latest string of stories around the brand name and other challenges it has encountered with its former manufacturer. However, instead of focusing around its ongoing legal battle, the co-founder used the time to share a number of recent advancements to a jam-packed DIY crowd. These included a New York City manufacturing partnership with Adafruit, the launch of a sister brand dubbed Genuino (“genuine” in Italian) for boards outside of the United States, as well as the availability of the Arduino Zero and Wi-Fi Shield 101.

“Adafruit and Arduino.cc have been working together on open-source software and hardware for almost 10 years in a variety of ways, this is expanded partnership and manufacturing is part of our collective goal to make the world a better place through the sharing of ideas, code and hardware with our communities,” Adafruit’s very own Limor Fried shared in response to the big news. “We’re currently manufacturing the [ATtiny85] Arduino GEMMA with Arduino.cc right here in New York City at the Adafruit factory, it instantly became a top seller and we’re looking forward to bringing our manufacturing expertise and processes to start shipping more versions and types of Arduinos right here from the USA as soon as possible.”

As for the unveiling of the sister brand, Genuino, this enables “Team CC” to resume production of boards in all of its markets, and allows for more localized manufacturing. MAKE: Magazine’s Mike Senese notes that the new brand will still emulate the 8- and 32-bit chips that Makers have grown accustomed to over the years, such as a Genuino Uno in a familiar teal and white color scheme.

What’s more, Makers will no longer have to wait for the release dates of both the Zero and Wi-Fi Shield 101 either. That’s because Banzi revealed that the Zero will be available as of June 9th, and the Wi-Fi 101 Shield not too far after on June 25th. Debuted back at last year’s Faire, the 32-bit board is based on an Atmel | SMART SAM D21 Cortex-M0+ MCU and boasts flexible peripherals along with Atmel’s Embedded Debugger (EDBG) to facilitate a full debug interface on the SAM D21 without requiring any supplemental hardware. Meanwhile, the Wi-Fi Shield 101 is powered by an ATWINC1500 wireless controller and protected with an ATECC108 crypto engine. This provides users with a simple extension that can be seamlessly connected to any Arduino to make way for high-performance, secure Wi-Fi connectivity.

Banzi also touched upon a few other key announcements, like the first modular product produced in their Bangalore office, named Modulino, as well as a new set of online tools, known as Arduino Create, that will accelerate the building process for Makers by eliminating the need to switch between various resources.

You can watch the presentation in its entirety below.

11 projects we saw and loved at MakerCon

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Here’s a look at some of the impressive projects from MakerCon 2015.

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Maker Week is well underway and safe to say that MakerCon kicked things off with a bang. There, we had the chance to engage in several lively discussions, listen to industry thought-leaders and visionaries, as well as receive hands-on demonstrations from some of today’s rising startups. As we walked through the historic Palace of Fine Arts during the two-day event, we couldn’t help but note the collection of innovative gizmos and gadgets on display at MakerCon Showcase — which is essentially a mini Maker Faire in itself. From a pancake printer to a smart aquaponics system, the showcase had it all. Here’s a handful of the impressive projects we had a chance to get up close and personal with… (For the rest of you, we’ll be sure to catch up with you at Maker Faire!)

Modulo

Currently live on Kickstarter, Modulo was founded by former Pixar engineer Erin Tomson as a way to take the hassle out of building electronics. The set includes a series of tiny chips, each equipped with its own little processor (ATtiny841) responsible for the operation and communication with a controller board (ATmega32U4). These modules easily slide right into a Modulo Base that securely holds them in place and electrically links the devices without the usual tangle of wires.

PancakeBot

As its name would suggest, PancakeBot allows Makers to print out flapjacks into just about any design one can imagine. Not only developed to inspire, entertain and bring out the creativity at home, the machine has some serious commercial appeal for brands wanting to make a lasting impression. The ATmega2560 based breakfast bot uses a proprietary system to extrude the ingredients as it glides over the griddle, while the combination of compressed air, a special vacuum and an on-board interface helps control batter flow.

Zymbit

Santa Barbara startup Zymbit debuted the first three products within its evolving Internet of Things suite: the Zymbit Orange edge device, the Zymbit Iris interactive display and Zymbit Connect software. The platform is being billed as the first pre-configured hardware and software solution that is a finished, secure, out-of-the-box-ready product for seriously creative Makers and developers looking to get their connected prototypes off their desk and into the market in days, not months.

Flutter Wireless

Born out of his own frustration of wirelessly connecting two Arduino boards, Taylor Alexander went on to invent Flutter Wireless, which not only gained enormous popularity among the DIY crowd but garnered over $150,000 on Kickstarter back in 2013. The $36 wireless Arduino with a half-mile range lets users develop mesh networking protocols and smart devices in an efficient yet inexpensive manner. It’s perfect for robotics, consumer electronics, wireless sensor networks, and educational platforms. Flutter is packed with a powerful Atmel | SMART SAM3S Cortex-M3 processor, while an ATSHA204 crypto engine keeps it protected from digital intruders.

uARM

The brainchild of Shenzhen startup EVOL, uArm is a desktop 4-axis parallel-mechanism arm, modeled after the ABB industrial PalletPack robot. The project is comprised of laser cut acrylic or wood parts, powered by standard RC hobby servos and controlled by an ATmega328 embedded custom board.

Kijani Grows

Kijani Grows produces and installs smart aquaponics gardens for homes, schools and corporate settings. The latest version of its garden kit is driven by a Linux/Arduino controller board (Atheros AR9331 and ATmega2560) that enables the system to remotely detect and respond to physical environments.

Keyboardio

Makers Jesse Vincent and Kaia Dekker are looking to revolutionize the traditional QWERTY layout with their butterfly-shaped keyboard that places a greater emphasis on the thumb, lessens the stress on your pinkies, and offers a more natural position for the hand and wrist — something that may prove to be a lifesaver for those suffering from carpal tunnel or arthritis. Keyboardio puts keys such as control, alt, delete, shift and a new ‘function’ button under the typists’ palms, all within easy reach of the thumbs. What’s more, the gadget is Bluetooth-enabled permitting users to switch between devices and carry it from one meeting to the next.

Tapster

Jason Huggins built a robotic contraption capable of mimicking the human touch as way to test and automate new software applications on mobile devices. Programmed with Node.js, Johnny-Five and Arduino, Tapster is entirely open-source and can be configured specifically to a user’s liking.

Future Make Technology

While many of today’s 3D printing products rely on a feed of ABS/PLA plastic that is heated and extruded through a hot nozzle, the Future Make crew seeking to change that with the launch of their 3D pen Polyes Q1. Unlike other devices on the market, photo-polymer ink is spit out of a cool nozzle and immediately solidified when exposed to blue LED light. What this means is no more nasty smells or burns!

Gigabot

Gigabot, re:3D’s flagship technology, gives Makers the ability to 3D print industrial strength, extremely large objects at an affordable price point. With a build envelope of 24” x 24” x 24” and a robust aluminum frame, the machine can construct objects up to 30 times larger than competing desktop models.

DomeCandy

In an effort to revolutionize the boombox, one South Carolina startup has digitally fabricated an open-source, Arduino-compatible Bluetooth speaker kit for Makers.