It was 1974 when tech pioneer Ted Nelson first asked a nascent industry to hand over “computer power to the people.” A few years later, Commodore founder Jack Tramiel expressed similar sentiments, proclaiming that “we need to build computers for the masses, not the classes.” As we’ve previously discussed on Bits & Pieces, empowering individuals […]
Cooking Hacks, the the open hardware division of Libelium, has debuted a new Open Garden hardware platform. Powered by Atmel’s ATtiny84 microcontroller (MCU), the platform consists of three separate kits equipped with sensors to maintain healthy growth, whether plants are located indoors or outside. “All kits measure parameters such as temperature, humidity and light; soil moisture […]
Students at the Kennebunk High School in Maine have successfully constructed and maintained an off-the-grid greenhouse using Atmel-based Arduino boards, solar panels and a sprinkler system. According to Alex Acquisto of the Kennebunk Post, Arduino Uno boards (ATmega328 MCU) are deployed in the greenhouse as soil moisture sensors. “If the soil is too dry, the […]
Aquaponics is a food production system that combines conventional aquaculture (raising aquatic animals) with hydroponics (cultivating plants in water) in a symbiotic environment. Essentially, water from an aquaculture system is fed to a hydroponic system where by-products are broken down by nitrogen-fixing bacteria into nitrates and nitrites, which are used by the plants as nutrients. […]
Integreight’s 1Sheeld – powered by an ATmega162 MCU – is an easily configurable shield for Arduino boards. Essentially, 1Sheeld connects to a mobile Android app that allows users to take advantage of various smartphone features including the display, gyroscope, accelerometer, magnetometer, GSM, Wi-Fi and GPS. “Our product consists of two parts. The first part is a […]
Polymer maven Jemmel Belkacem has over 10 years R&D experiences in UV curing polymer, 3D printing and material characterizations. Currently, Belkacem is working to develop high-resolution resins for 3D printers using UV curing technology known as stereolotography (laser and DLP systems). “[Over] the last [few] years I developed a new photo-polymer resins for 3D printing,” […]
Animatronics – originally developed by Walt Disney in the early 1960s – describes the use mechatronics to create devices which appear animate rather than robotic. Such creations typically include animals, plants and even mythical creatures. Years ago, animatronics was understandably limited to Hollywood studios with seemingly endless wads of cash, but today Makers can design […]
