When it comes to the privacy and security of data, what does the future hold for consumers, companies and governments? A tremendously interesting document, called “Alternate Worlds,” was published by the U.S. National Intelligence Council. It’s a serious document that not only examines four different alternatives of what 2030 might look like, but possesses some major geo-political thinking about the future. In the entire report there was […]
Majeed Ahmad explores the latest sensor hub offerings for wearable devices. By Majeed Ahmad Atmel has beefed up its sensor hub offerings for wearable devices with SAM D20 Cortex M0+ microcontroller core to add more functionality and further lower the power bar for battery-operated devices. The SAM D20 MCUs offer ultra-low power through a patented power-saving technique called […]
Here’s a closer look at the top 10 cyber security predictions for 2015. In 2014 worries about security went from a simple “meh” to “WTF!” Not only did high-profile attacks get sensational media coverage, but those incidents led to a pivotal judicial ruling that corporations can be sued for data breaches. And as hard as it […]
The low-cost Chinese smartphone maker plans to start testing four new smart home products. As Xiaomi looks to broaden its range of devices for the Internet of Things, the Chinese smartphone maker has unveiled a new plan for a suite of four new smart home modules that will offer enhanced security features. In a recent GeekPark Innovation Festival presentation, Xiaomi President Bin Lin […]
For many, the term “drone” seems to conjure images of military use and war weaponry. As a result, the mere thought of these futuristic flying devices tend to pose security and privacy concerns to several people. When, however, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) used for defense purposes and those that may one day may buzz around the skies are quite different, and […]
Kickstarter first opened its virtual doors on April 28, 2009. Since then, the wildly-popular crowdfunding site has tracked just shy of $1.5 billion in pledges from 7.6 million individuals actively backing 75,800 creative projects. Many have pondered as to whether the crowdfunding bubble would burst anytime soon, and as the burgeoning Maker Movement and Internet of Things have conveyed, the answer is ABSOLUTELY NOT! By 2025, the crowdfunding […]
When you use solder paste to assemble your prototype PCB (printed circuit board) you need a stencil or hypodermic needle to apply the paste to the pads on the board. Then you use an IR (infra-red) reflow oven to melt the solder. Scott Fritz, an Atmel IC designer on the third floor, found this neat […]
Back in March, Atmel launched the second stage of its Simply AVR Design Contest, which encouraged Makers, designers and engineers to develop clever, ground-breaking 8-bit microcontroller-based designs using its highly-popular AVR family. After several months of ideation and submissions, we’re excited to announce that the grand prize winner of the contest is Juan Gonzalez for his IoT ATmega2560-powered robot. Programmed with Atmel Studio 6.2, the winning IoT project […]
Did you know nearly 6 in 10 domestic cats are overweight? Led by University of Illinois PhD student Dave Cohen, a group of Illinois-based cat lovers Makers have created a purrrr-fect way to combat the growing feline epidemic by designing a robotic “pet for your cat.” The startup, aptly named Petronics, has been working on various iterations of Mousr. Capable […]
…Continued from Interview with Mitch Altman (Part 1)… Tom Vu: What is the Hackerspace in Residence Program? Why is this important? Mitch Altman: Let me start by giving some background… Over the past decade, thousands of designers, engineers, artists, programmers, crafters, scientists, cooks, musicians, tinkerers, and the otherwise curious, have gathered at hackerspaces (sometimes also […]
