Being a parent is tough enough, and keeping your children safe at all times is even tougher. With hopes of giving moms and dads everywhere one less thing to worry about, Pittsburgh-based startup 4moms has introduced a Self-Installing Car Seat.
The seat — which was on display at CES 2016 — aims to take some of the guesswork out of the often-frustrating installation. This is a pretty big deal, too, when you consider that four in five seats are improperly lodged inside cars. Making matters worse, there has never really been an easy to way to check.
The unit is designed for infants from four to 30 pounds, and employs a robot in the base of the seat for proper installation every time. Once the parent connects the carrier to the vehicle’s LATCH anchors, the base automatically levels, tightens the straps and then provides verification that it safe for child use. From there, it triggers a continuous monitoring system that will notify parents if anything is amiss, like a disconnected LATCH or loss of tension, as well as provide guidance on how to correct via a display on its side.
Although the seat works without its accompanying app, a smartphone will help streamline the process. By reading a vehicle’s identification number (VIN), the app can recommend the best position for the seat and where to find the LATCH anchors based on make and model of the car. It also enables the parent to ensure the car seat base is installed at the right level, even if parked on an incline.
To accomplish this, the Self-Installing Car Seat uses the phone’s internal accelerometer and gyroscope to calculate the incline. The app relays this information to the base, which then compensates for this measured slope when auto-leveling. As the 4moms crew explains, most of today’s premium car seats only have a gravity ball within the base, which require the parent to move their vehicle to level ground for a correct installation.
Additionally, the app utilizes the seat’s sensors to check on the baby’s growth in order to alert parents when the child is becoming too big for the carrier.
Sound like a must-have item for you and your young one? The $499 accessory will be available in June. Until then, you can check out their website here.
StarMAT is an interactive doormat that detects a footstep and plays Star Wars tunes and phrases.
If you’ve ever dreamed of marching through a door to the sounds of Star Wars, you’re in luck. That’s because Maker Rohit Gupta has devised an interactive doormat that plays random audio clips from the film upon entering his room.
To coincide with the recent release of the latest box office hit, the DIY doormat detects a footstep using capacitive sensing and then emits either an iconic song (like the opening theme or Imperial March) or a famous phrase from the saga.
The current setup is temporarily breadboarded, and consists of an Arduino with an MP3 shield connected to a pair of desktop USB speakers. Meanwhile, there’s a capacitive wire loop hidden beneath the mat and a self-calibrating capacitive sensor tuned to the mat size wire. Once someone steps onto the mat, the sensor triggers the Arduino to sound the audio bit, which is stored on an SD card.
The New Velocity is an Arduino-based project that plots the phantom Sandy Island digitally.
In 1876, the ship Velocity reported observing a series of sandy islands. As the practice of the day was to leave any potential navigational hazards on charts, these islands that are now officially “nonexistent” survived into the digital age and were not officially “undiscovered” until 2012. This seems like an interesting phenomenon in our age when it often seems that with satellites, and GPS information, we should at least know an accurate layout of the earth.
Luiz Zanotello of the University of the Arts Bremen created The New Velocity machine to explore this cartographic anomaly in the digital age. Black sand is poured onto a rotating platform, creating a miniature “island” on a table. A sensor is moved up and down in sinusoidal pattern, simulating the observation conditions of the original ship. This data on this false island is then recorded and put in a publicly-available dataset.
Per the project’s homepage, “Each set of datasets evidences the presence of an islet within the island’s range, and archives its survey readings on the islet’s coastline, water depth surroundings, topographical elevation and geotagged content.” Although the moral implications of digitally reviving a phantom island is an open question, as seen in the video below, the device is well-made and would look great as an art exhibit.
This project was brought to life using an Arduino Uno (ATmega328) to handle motion and sensor data, working alongside a Raspberry Pi 2 for visual and mapping control.
This platform integrates the ultra-low-power SAM L21 with a BTLC1000 SoC and a software ecosystem into a small, flexible form factor.
Just in time for CES 2016, Atmel unveiled a complete, ultra-low-power connected platform for cost-optimized IoT and wearable applications. This new platform features the world’s lowest power ARM Cortex-M0+, the Atmel | SMART SAM L21, and award-winning BTLC1000 Bluetooth Smart SoC, making it the perfect solution for battery-operated devices requiring activity and environment monitoring.
Key components for the low-power connected platform — the Atmel | SMART SAM L21 MCU and the BTLC1000 — achieve industry-leading standards. The SAM L21 boasts a staggering ULPBench score of 185, the highest recorded score for any Cortex-M0+ while running the EEMBC ULPBench, the industry marker for low power, with a power consumption down to 35µA/MHz in active mode and 200nA in sleep mode. Atmel’s Bluetooth Smart solution is 25% smaller than the closest competing solution packaged in a 2.2mm x 2.1mm Wafer Level Chipscale Package, enabling designers to build ultra-small industrial designs for next-generation connected IoT and wearable applications.
Atmel’s low-power platform is a design-ready unit showcasing the company’s broad portfolio of ultra-low-power smart, secure and connected products, and partner technologies. Embodied in a 30mm x 40mm form factor, the platform integrates the Atmel | SMART ultra-low power MCU, Bluetooth Smart low-energy connectivity, capacitive touch interface, security solution, complete software platform, real-time operating system (RTOS), a BHI160 6-axis SmartHub motion sensor and a BME280 environmental sensor from Bosch Sensortec. The platform can be powered by a simple coin cell utilizing extremely low power consumption, and manufacturers can also leverage Atmel’s extensive list of sensor partners.
To simplify the design process, the platform is compatible with Atmel’s flagship Studio 7 IDE, along with Atmel START, the world’s first intuitive web-based tool for software configuration and code generation.
“As a leading provider of ultra-low power IoT solutions, we know that out-of-the-box, easy to implement reference platforms are a necessity to help accelerate the adoption of wearable applications, and enable a rapid time-to-market for new product ideas,” says Andreas Eieland, Atmel Director of Product Marketing for the Microcontroller Business Unit. “Atmel’s new reference platform allows our customers to develop differentiated solutions for cost-optimized, yet competitive, markets including healthcare, fitness, wellness and much more. We continue to help drive the IoT and wearable market with simple, ultra-low power platforms with complete hardware and software solutions.”
Whether it’s eliminating distractions or enhancing convenience, every workplace could use some of these things.
An Electric Standing Desk
StandiT is a modular, patent-pending system that can take ordinary desks or wooden tabletops and transform them into electric stand-sit desks capable of raising and lowering on your command.
An Ergonomic Keyboard
Keyboardiois an open source ergonomic keyboard that gives your pinkies a break and puts your thumbs to work.
A Listening Table
The brainchild of the New York Times R&D Lab, the Listening Table is like any other piece of office furniture except for the fact that it can record the most important moments from a meeting. A microphone array focuses on the speaker, no matter where he or she is seated, while custom speech-processing software generates a word-for-word recording and a semantic overview — what topics were talked about, in what order, and by whom.
A Connected Coffee Pot
You’ve all been in the situation before: You arrive at the office coffee pot only to find that it’s empty. If only you could curb that disappointment with up-to-the-minute reporting on exactly how much coffee is left in the pot. Well lucky for you, PubNub has developed an IoT Coffee Maker with real-time coffee capacity monitoring.
A Coffee Age Timer
In most offices, coffee tends to go pretty fast throughout the morning. However, as the day goes on, caffeine consumption dwindles down a bit. And when it’s time for that late afternoon pick-me-up, it’s sometimes difficult to guess just how long the coffee has been sitting in the pot. Fortunately, Paul Kerchen has created a solution to keep track of that: BrewDoo.
A Boss Tracker
Ever wonder whether or not your boss is in the office? As part of a recent demonstration, the Atmel team in Norway built a SAM D20 GPS tracker that lets you receive an SMS alert whenever your supervisor enters the building.
An Arduino Alarm System
Hate when your colleagues steal things from your cubicle without asking for permission? Thanks to Stefano Guglielmetti, you can now devise your own Arduino Yún (ATmega32U4) alarm. Discreetly place the device around whatever it is that you’d like to monitor. If and when movement is detected, the alarm will emit a siren and then proceed to take a picture and email it to you. What’s more, you can shame the thief by automatically posting their photo to friends on Facebook or Twitter via a simple IFTTT recipe.
A Productivity Sign
Every office has that one guy. He walks around the floor, gazing into each cubicle, looking to spark a conversation. Not before long, he glances your way, makes eye contact and begins to head in your direction. As he approaches, he utters the infamous words, “It’ll be quick.” But let’s face it, it’s never quick. An hour later, not only has he drained you of your creative energy, but you just lost 60 minutes of productivity. Wired In is a Bluetooth sign that eliminates unwanted distractions by telling your coworkers you’re busy.
A Personal AC Unit
Especially in the summertime, finding the perfect indoor temperature to accommodate others can be quite challenging. Some buildings blast the AC to help with airflow, but this results in goosebumps even when it’s hot outside. Evapolar is a personal air conditioner that humidifies and purifies the air around you. The gadget sits on your desk, enabling you to enjoy your own climate, tailored to your temperature needs.
A Real-Time Commute Display
Transit is a conveniently-placed sign displaying commuter information from the web every 30 seconds. Although most of us can simply glance at our smartphones to check public transportation updates and weather forecasts, it’s easy to forget to do so when ‘in the zone.’ Sometimes, the only way we pay attention is when that information is served to us conspicuously. That was the thinking of iStrategyLabs, whose project ensures that you never miss a train, always know how many bikes are available, and stay one step ahead of the weather.
An Office Chairiot
Sitting behind the same desk in the same chair can get a bit boring after a while. What if that same chair could whiz through the building at 15 to 20 miles per hour? Meet the Office Chairiot Mark II — a motorized IKEA Poäng chair that employs some off-the-shelf scooter parts like wheels, axles and batteries to roll around.
A ‘Skip Track’ Target
Hate a song playing on the radio? Hope you have good aim! The Neo-Pangea crew’s Boombox Blasteradds a gamification element to their workplace’s music selection by turning a suspended NERF target into a “skip track” button.
These STEM toys from 2015 are helping to inspire the next generation of Makers.
STEM education has been a growing venture in schools across the country, with even the President himself making it a priority to encourage students as young as grade-school to pursue the science, technology, engineering and math disciplines. After all, these fields are changing the world rapidly within the areas of innovation, economic growth and employment. But let’s face it; these subjects don’t come easy to everyone, so how do we instill STEM in kids?
With this in mind, many startups have sought out new and exciting ways to entice the younger generation to explore their creativity and develop an interest in hands-on learning. Testament to that, here are several products from 2015 looking to inspire the next generation of Makers.
littleBits Gizmos & Gadgets
The Gizmos & Gadgets Kit is the ultimate invention toolbox, complete with motors, wheels, lights , switches, servos, buzzers and even the tools to build a remote control.
Jewelbots
Jewelbots are programmable friendship bracelets that teach girls the basics of coding.
Thimble
Thimble is a monthly subscription service that delivers fun electronic projects with guided tutorials and a helpful community.
Touch Board Starter Kit
Bare Conductive’s Touch Board Starter Kit contains everything you need to transform surfaces, objects or spaces into sensors.
Makey Makey GO
Small enough to fit on your keychain, backpack or bracelet, Makey Makey GO turns everyday objects into touchpads and combines them with the Internet. Say hello to the world’s first invention kit.
RePhone
RePhone from Seeed Studio allows Makers to create a phone themselves in minutes and hack a new way to communicate with things.
mBot
mBot is an all-in-one, Arduino-compatible robot that supports wireless communication and employs Scratch 2.0-like coding.
Ringo
Ringo is a miniature digital pet robot equipped with an accelerometer, a gyrosocope, six RGB LEDs, as well as sound and communication sensors.
Wink
Wink is an Arduino-driven robot designed to help transition students from graphical programming to more powerful written code languages. It’s also the sibling of the aforementioned Ringo.
Kano
Kano is a computer and coding kit for all ages that’s as simple as LEGO, powered by Raspberry Pi.
Primo Cubetto
Primo Cubetto is a smart wooden robot designed to teach kids the basics of coding away from the screen.
Petduino
Petduino puts a DIY twist on the old-school Tamagotchi.
STEMI
STEMI is a hexapod that can be built right at home and controlled via smartphone.
mCookie
mCookies are quarter-sized, stackable modules from Microduino that enable young Makers to bring their LEGO projects to life.
Modulo
Modulo is a set of tiny modular circuit boards that takes the hassle out of electronics.
The Crafty Robot
The Crafty Robot is a paper toy unlike any other — plug it into a USB port for 30 seconds, unplug it and you’ve got a moving robot.
Kamigami
Kamigami is an origami-style robot you can construct and program by yourself. Each one can be configured with a unique set of behaviors and characteristics through a drag-and-drop interface.
Phiro
Phiro is a LEGO-compatible robotics toy that children can play with, code and innovate in various ways.
Quirkbot
With Quirkbot, young Makers can devise and configure quirky robots (hence its name), blinking outfits and weird sounding creatures out of regular drinking straws.
Cannybots
Cannybots are LEGO-compatible, smart toy cars that introduce kids to the worlds of robotics, programming and 3D printing.
3DRacers
3DRacers is a Mario Kart-like indoor racing game that lets anyone design and 3D print their own car.
Volta Flyer
Volta Flyer is the world’s first DIY airplane kit that is solely powered by the sun.
Roby
Roby is a 3D-printed robotic machine that not only drives on four wheels, but can walk on two. If it falls, it can even pick itself up again with its pair of arms.
O Watch
O Watch is a DIY smartwatch for a kid, by a kid.
LocoRobo
LocoRobo is a cute, inexpensive robot capable of being wirelessly programmed.
KamiBot
KamiBot is a programmable, smartphone-controlled paper robot.
Pixel Pals
Pixel Pals are easy-to-build, fun educational kits that grow from a project to a friend you can program.
Fiat Lux
Fiat Lux is an Arduino-compatible kit specifically designed for unique wearable projects.
AZIBOt
AZIBOt is an open source, 3D-printed robot kit for STEM education in Africa.
Be the talk of your next holiday party with this epic sweater.
Got an old, ugly sweater hanging in your closet? Or just an old one in general? Well, now you can breathe new life into the out-of-date garment with the help of a few MCUs and LEDs.
That’s exactly what UK-based Makerspace fizzPOP along with electronics retailer Maplin has done. The wearable — which they’re calling the “techiest Christmas jumper ever” — is equipped with an Adafruit FLORA (ATmega32U4), an Arduino Uno (ATmega328), an Arduino Mega (ATmega2560), four 8×8 LED matrices, as well a bunch of NeoPixels and NeoPixel Minis. It also features a portable 10,000mAh power bank and a pair of electret microphone amplifiers so it can react to those Yuletide jingles.
As you can see in the video below, the RGB matrices allow for some pretty cool graphics to come across the front of the sweater, including a tree, snow, a bird and even some text for the ultimate holiday greeting. And who’s to say that it has to stop at Christmas? With a bit of programming, you can transform your boring pullover or turtleneck into an epic New Year or Hanukah outfit.
Just in case you needed any more proof that the Maker Movement has gone mainstream, here’s a quick look at five times Atmel-based projects got some TV love this year.
Jimmy Fallon
An Arduino Uno (ATmega328) was the unexpected guest on “The Tonight Show” in April when 14-year-old Sahar Khashayar had the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to show off her project, the Wildfire Warning System, during Jimmy’s “GE Fallenventions” segment.
Conan O’Brien
The project Conan was referring to was none other than Simone Giertz’s infamous Wake-Up Machinethat has attracted millions upon millions of views over the last few weeks. Not a fan of the morning, the always innovative (and hilarious) Maker decided to build an alarm mechanism that would literally slap her in the face with a rubber arm until she got out of bed. To achieve this, she picked apart an ordinary alarm clock, wired it to an Arduino Uno (ATmega328), and controlled a 165rpm brushless DC motor through a relay. We’ll have to wait and see if Giertz gets the invite to demonstrate it live!
Shark Tank
Not only are startups launching their products on crowdfunding sites like Kickstarter and Indiegogo, a few have even taken their chances in the “Shark Tank.” Like for example, sisters Melissa and Lavanya Jawaharlal, who together founded STEM Center USA with hopes of inspiring the next generation of engineers. The dynamic duo ended up closing a $200,000 deal with QVC’s Lori Greiner for their robotics education concept, but not before attracting interest from Silicon Valley venture capitalist Chris Sacca.
The Daily Show with Trevor Noah
Actress Lupita Nyong’o recently appeared on “The Daily Show” to talk about the highly-anticipated release of Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens. But it was her color-flicking dress that stole the spotlight. Created by Zac Posen in collaboration Google’s Made With Code initiative, the garment was embedded with over 500 programmable LEDs underneath a top layer of fabric, which sparkled as Nyong’o was welcomed by Trevor Noah. If you recall, the partnership between the designer and Google was announced at New York’s Fashion Week back in September, where the Adafruit FLORA (ATmega32U4)-powered dress was first modeled at Posen’s runway show.
The Ellen Show
According to The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, USA Today and TIME, the littleBits Gizmos and Gadgets Kit was one of the year’s top gifts. It was so popular that it even made a cameo on “The Ellen Show” on December 18th, when Ellen and her sidekick Andy Zenor debuted their own drawing robot. Even better, the entire crowd went home with the DIY set!
As 2015 comes to a close, let’s take one more look at the wearable devices that caught our attention over the last 12 months.
At the moment, the wearables landscape is being dominated by brands like Fitbit, Apple, Motorola, Xiaomi, Samsung and a number of other tech giants. Total shipments are expected to reach 214.6 million units by 2019, reflecting a five-year CAGR of 28%. While today’s market may be limited to basic designs such as smartwatches and trackers, we’re on the brink of a wider wider proliferation of wearable gadgetry.
For instance, 2015 saw the rise of several attention-grabbing, homebrew devices and prototypes — some of which boast mainstream appeal, while others could potentially have a lasting impact on our world. Here’s a look back some of the wow-worthy wearables from the last 12 months. (Sorry if we forgot anyone… there were just so many!)
Although 3D printers have received most of the buzz in recent months, these next-gen machines are doing much more than just spitting out ABS and PLA objects. In fact, you can expect to find one of the following 15 gadgets on your workbench, desktop, kitchen counter or inside your man cave in the not too distant future.
Glowforge
A big hit at this year’s World Maker Faire, the Glowforge is a revolutionary 3D laser printer that uses subtractive technology rather than additive methods. With one press of a button, the device cuts and engraves a variety of materials — including wood, fabric, leather, paper, cardboard, food and acrylic — instead of constructing items layer by layer. During its crowdfunding campaign, the team impressively garnered a record-setting $27M in 30 days.
X-Carve
With X-Carve, Inventables offers several new elements to the 3D carving kit concept which they’ve been associated with over the past few years. This customizable piece of equipment is ideal for the workshop, and can create precision parts from plastic, wood and metal. It comes in two sizes, 500mm and 1000mm rails, which provide a 12″ x 12″ and a 31″ x 31″ work area, respectively.
Prometheus
Zippy Robotics’ Prometheus is a milling machine that rapidly produces prototype PCBs from your desk in minutes, so you no longer have to wait weeks for a delivery truck. It works by carving through the copper layer of a standard copper-clad board (FR-4 or FR-1), as well as drilling holes and routing the shape of the board itself if it needs to fit a specific enclosure. Prometheus boasts an extremely low runout error that cuts traces down to .007 inches in diameter, meaning you can design with pretty much any surface mount component.
Voltera V-One
Born out of their own frustrations with traditional fabrication processes, Voltera has come up with a unique way to reduce development time from months to days. Winner of both TechCrunch’s Hardware Battlefield and the 2015 James Dyson Award, the V-One can print out circuit boards, dispense solder paste and reflow.
Voxel8
Voxel8, in partnership with Autodesk, introduced the world’s first 3D printer for electronics ranging from fully-functional drones to hearing aids. Designers and engineers will now be able to actualize three-dimensional parts with embedded circuitry for the first time.
The PancakeBot
A perfect example of an idea that has gone from the ‘MakerSpace to MarketPlace,’ the PanakeBot is exactly what it sounds like: an automated appliance that can whip up pancakes in virtually any shape you can imagine.
G3DP
A team of MIT researchers has opened up a new frontier in 3D printing: the ability to build optically transparent glass objects. The G3DP consists of two heated chambers. The upper chamber is a crucible kiln that operates at a temperature of around 1900°F, and funnels the molten material through an alumina-zircon-silica nozzle, while the bottom chamber works to anneal the structures.
BoXZY
There are 3D printers. There are engravers. There are CNC mills. However, BoXZY is different — it’s all three. Hoping to usher in a new age of ‘modular manufacturing,’ this triple-threat mini FabLab empowers Makers to alternate between the tools with quick-change heads. Oh, and did we mention that Justin and Joel Johnson raised more than $1.1M on Kickstarter?
Pico
Instead of having to run out to your local package store or brewery, Pico allows you to craft fresh, personalized beer right from home. One notable feature of the coffeemaker-sized appliance is its new PicoPak system, which includes conveniently pre-packaged ingredient combinations.
FarmBot
A finalist in this year’s Hackaday Prize, FarmBot is an open source CNC farming machine capable of weeding, seeding, feeding and watering crops. What’s more, its web-based application lets growers graphically design their farm or garden to meet desired specifications. This makes the process as simple as playing a game of FarmVille.
Ripple Maker
The Ripple Maker leverages 3D printing and inkjet technologies to adorn the top of your morning latte with complex artwork that could take the form of someone’s name, their face, or even a personalized message to the customer behind you. The unit itself is rather small, measuring just 8.5″ by 10.5″, and connects via Wi-Fi to a library of designs. Users have the option to choose from a menu of themes and text to stamp onto the milky foam canvas with natural coffee extract.
Bistrobot
Bistrobot wants you to bid farewell to long lines and wrong orders, and say hello to an automated assembly line that can make peanut butter sandwiches on white bread with your choice of honey, blackberry jam, sweet chili, chocolate sauce and Nutella.
Electroloom
What if you could design ready-to-wear garments straight from your desktop? Thanks to Electroloom, you can. The team’s electrospinning process makes it possible for anyone with a small bit of CAD ability to create seamless fabric items on demand.
Circular Knitic
The artist duo of Varvara Guljajeva and Mar Canet has devised an open source, automated circular knitter dubbed Circular Knitic. In true Maker fashion, the idea was brought to life with 3D printing, laser cutting, MakerBeam and Arduino.
Bartesian
Like a Keurig for cocktails, the Bartesian is a capsule-based gadget that enables anyone to expertly fix their favorite alcoholic beverages in a matter of seconds.
Shapeoko 3
The Shapeoko 3 is an affordable, heavy duty, three-axis CNC machine designed to “do real work, out of real materials.”
Evo-One
Geared towards everyone from the DIY community to the industrial-savvy crowd, Evo-One is a sleek desktop CNC mill that can engrave, carve and cut complex shapes with incredible accuracy.
