While dipping a chicken nugget into sauce or touching sushi may not be the most conventional way to create music, if there is one thing that MaKey MaKey has taught us, is that nearly anything can be transformed into a MIDI trigger. This includes the tops of cats’ heads, plastic mannequin parts, cacti, rubber finger monsters, and old-school Polaroid […]
A Maker and modder by the name of Capricorn1 has added a rockin’ visual dimension to his already impressive musical skills by using a piano’s MIDI output to drive Edison bulbs. Capricorn1 hung the bulbs from a rod of electrical conduit pipe, while threading the wires to a DB25 connector. The lights were controlled by an Arduino Mega […]
Telefónica has launched what it describes as the first Internet of Things (IoT) product enabling consumers to connect just about any device wirelessly to the web. The new product, dubbed ‘Thinking Things,’ is a simple plug-and-play solution based on Lego-like modules with 2G connectivity that allow Makers to develop their own smart solutions without any programming know-how or having […]
The market for sensors used in wearable technology is set to grow sevenfold over the next five years, according to IHS Technology. The new report, entitled “MEMS & Sensors for Wearables Report – 2014,” notes fitness and health monitoring features as well as improved user interfaces among key drivers fueling this growth. The research firm stated the worldwide […]
The team at OFL Architecture recently devised an interactive piece of architecture dedicated to the human-insect relationship. Inspired by a desire to explore the connection between both man and nature, a team comprised of a biologist, a sound engineer, a composer, and an architect built an installation entitled Wunderbugs. The convergence of architecture, art and engineering added a special dynamic […]
Cooking Hacks, the open hardware division of Libelium, has launched two new sensor platforms that automate control and maintenance tasks in aquariums and in gardens through wireless connectivity and using open-source APIs. Designed for Makers, the new IoT solutions are based on Arduino, and include specialized sensors to measure parameters vital to aquatic life in ponds and […]
It seems as though Makers just love creating instruments out of aging computer parts! Jeremy Weatherford recently repurposed two stepper motors to play high-tech versions of some of the classics and you have to hear it to believe it! Inspired by similar Maker projects that he encountered on the web, Weatherford writes that he was was driven to create […]
Back in 2007, the original ArduIMU launched with the capability of being a fully-functional inertial measurement unit based on Arduino. Seven years later, Ahmad Byagowi’s team has brought the ArduIMU V4 to life with countless added abilities. The V4 — which recently launched on Kickstarter — is described as “a beefed up successor to the original ArduIMU project […]
Samsung’s concept for a smartphone with a slanted screen edge that could easily be viewed from the side is now a reality, in the form of the company’s first-of-its-kind device aptly named the Galaxy Note Edge. Announced last week at IFA 2014, the smartphone’s wraparound display boasts a 5.6-inch Quad HD+ Super AMOLED at a resolution of 2560 […]
Remember that irritating etching noise that aging floppies emitted when they would boot up? Maker Chris Fry has harnessed the sonic power of these old drives and turned them into some musical masterpieces. We have featured Chris Fry’s ATmega328-based work previously on Bits & Pieces, as his life-like recreation of the Flux Capacitor from “Back to […]
