Atmel MCU Applications Manager Bob Martin recently went on camera in Las Vegas to discuss the evolution of CES over the years, with a specific emphasis on the Maker Movement and DIY community. As we’ve previously discussed on Bits & Pieces, Atmel’s 8- and 32-bit microcontrollers have been the MCUs of choice for Arduino since the […]
Adafruit’s Mike Barela has put together a detailed tutorial on programming the Atmel-powered Arduino Uno board (ATmega328) with Android and Windows tablets. As Barela notes, creating on the go for both hobbyists and engineers gets easier every year. “Tablets with modern versions of the Android operating system can be found below $200. In addition, there is a […]
Forrester analyst JP Gownder says wearables are just taking off and have a bright future ahead of them. “Sure, wearables are facing a hype bubble. So did the Internet; that didn’t make it any less significant in the long run,” Gownder opined in a recent blog post. “I’m impressed with the wide array of companies, […]
Forrester analyst Tim Sheedy confirms that smart, wearable technology is fast becoming mainstream. “In the past week alone, I’ve heard about devices that can improve your tennis swing, improve your posture, sense your presence, and generate energy from walking — not to mention the new smart watches, handheld 3D printers that can draw bones, smart […]
Tim Bartlett says he’s always wanted to create a small light with realistic fire (flickering) animation. Enter Bartlett’s LED candle in a jar – just in time for the winter holiday season. “Its brain is a programmable microcontroller, running a smart RGB LED via a single data pin, housed in the lid of a jar,” […]
Angela McIntyre, research director at Gartner, has confirmed that digital health and fitness will be one of the hottest segments at CES 2014 – with 40 percent of exhibitor floor space expanded for the lucrative segment. “We expect to see some updates and innovation in wearable cameras, smart glasses, smart watches and headsets. We will […]
Writing for Forbes, Paul Nunes and Larry Downes note that every one of over a trillion everyday items will one day include at least some ability to store, process and share information over the Internet. “We’ve been hearing about intelligent refrigerators and product packaging for years, but now, thanks to relentless price/performance improvements in the […]
The Internet of Things (IoT) refers to a future world where all types of electronic devices link to each other via the Internet. In 2009, there were 2.5 billion connected devices; most of these were mobile phones, PCs and tablets. By 2020, there will be over 30 billion connected devices of far greater variety. According […]
A new generation of solar-powered wearable electronics could soon be hitting the streets, with batteries inconspicuously woven into clothing fibers or incorporated into watchbands. As a recent article published in Nano Letters notes, electronic textiles have the potential to integrate smartphone functions into clothes, eyeglasses, watches and materials worn on the skin. Possibilities range from […]
Adafruit’s Noé & Pedro have created a tricked-out skateboard using Adafruit’s NeoPixels and the Atmel-powered FLORA (ATmega32u4 MCU). The electronic components are housed in a tastefully designed 3D printed structure equipped with an easy to reach power switch. “You can grab the STL files on Thingiverse. For this project, we used the low density weatherproof […]
