Creating fake passports from your personal data

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This robotic installation will steal and share your data — with your help. 

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The brainchild of ECAL student Martin Hertig, Sensible Data is a unique project designed to show just how easily people are willing to give up their personal information in exchange for fun. The playful installation collects a user’s data, judges their mood, age, gender and beauty, and creates a faux passport that is also randomly sent to another participant without them knowing.

If you think about, what really happens when you openly give your name, numbers and other information online, and where does it go? Although the experiment was done intentionally to test a small sampling’s confidence in how data is collected, it does highlight a much broader privacy issue that exists today, especially in the wake of several mainstream leaks.

The Maker’s exploration is comprised of three machines that are essentially modified versions of the Piccolo CNC, an open source drawing device based on the Arduino Pro Micro (ATmega32U4). Meanwhile, a Raspberry Pi acts as the brain of the installation, running a Python script for every step of the process. Each script listens to the desired input and relays the plotting commands to the necessary gadget.

How it works is pretty straightforward. First, a participant snaps a selfie with an iPad that’s automatically synced up to a Raspberry Pi using Dropbox. A Python script takes this picture and converts it into a line drawing with the help of OpenCV. The user is then prompted to send a blank email to the project’s iCloud address.

From there, the person’s face is analyzed. Upon receiving an email, the Raspberry Pi transmits the previously taken image to the Rekognition API. The facial recognition program is able to properly determine one’s mood, age, gender and their beauty, which is measured as a percentage. This information is stored in a database and inked onto the novelty passport letter by letter using a laser-cut stamp-wheel.

Last but not least, the participant is asked to press a dubious button that is actually a fingerprint scanner. Once the validation step is complete, an email with a matching participant’s data including their fingerprint, photo and email address is sent to the user. (Absurdly, the matchmaking is determined by the amount of lines in the portrait.)

The idea is that, when encountered with a decision, more times than not people are willing to just hand over their likeness, not knowing what will be done with it. Intrigued? Check out the entire project here, and be sure to watch it in action below!

This LED map tracks the MBTA in real-time

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Maker uses an Arduino, Raspberry Pi and LEDs to create a real-time map that keeps tabs on Boston’s trains.

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Inspired by his love for making and public transit, MIT student Ian Reynolds has built an MBTA map into the wall of his fraternity room to show real-time locations of vehicles using bright LEDs.

The Maker employed a few meters of NeoPixels, driven by an Arduino Uno (ATmega328) that takes orders from a Python script running on a Raspberry Pi lying on his floor. The color of the LEDs were specially designed to match those of each transit line (e.g. red line, blue line, green line, orange line, etc.). Every 10 to 15 seconds, the system receives data via the MBTA’s API, which in turn, causes the respective lights to flash based on the trains’ approximate GPS location throughout Boston.

“It maps those to some LEDs, decides which ones actually need to be changed, and then sends that information to the Arduino, which does the bit pushing,” Reynolds explains. “In addition, I’m writing a tiny web app that lets me change visualizations and adjust the brightness for when I need to sleep.”

Intrigued? The Maker has put together an elaborate blog post that breaks down his entire project, from the hardware to the headaches. You can also get a glimpse of it all below!

Maker turns a doorstop into a game with Arduino

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Line Wobbler is an Arduino-powered, one-dimensional dungeon crawler game with a doorstop spring as its controller and an LED strip as its display.

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While we’ve seen plenty of unique video game interfaces over the years, a door-stop may certainly be among the most bizarre. Okay, so it’s not that odd as it does resemble a joystick after all. Inspired by a video of a cat playing with a doorstop, Maker Robin Baumgarten has built a one-dimensional dungeon crawler game running on an Arduino.

Developed as part of a 48-hour game jam, Line Wobbler is played using a unique Wobble controller made out of a doorstop spring placed on a rigid base and a bright LED strip display. All the movement is controlled by bending the makeshift gamepad left and right, while enemies are attacked by wobbling.

“We use a long strip of densely packed NeoPixels, which is both super bright and physically flexible,” Baumgarten writes. “Using selective brightness for specific particle effects, we evoke the retro-feeling of vector-displays. (Remember the bullets in asteroids? Very satisfying!)”

“The flexibility of the strip allows us to incorporate physical space into the game by bending and looping the display around objects and walls, and modifying in-game objects according to the strips’ orientation, breaking out of the rigid linearity that a 1D display imposes,” Baumgarten adds.

In order to transform the everyday doorstop into a joystick, the Maker employed an accelerometer that provides input to an Arduino Uno (ATmega328).

As for the game itself, the character is a green dot that a player must guide to the top of the LED strip. Along the way, it will encounter a few enemies, represented by red dots, that move at varying speeds. The player must battle these enemies by wobbling the spring. Should an avatar get too close and touch one, it will ‘die’ in a colorful explosion and will require the level to be restarted. According to the Maker, there are currently 10 levels which include everything from lava obstacles and a boss fight.

Admittedly, Baumgarten says the one-dimensional game is a bit challenging but interesting nevertheless. Since its inception, Line Wobbler has been exhibited in number of places, like the Experimental Gameplay Workshop at GDC 2015, Burning Man 2015, London, Chicago and Oslo, and has even been the recipient of two AMAZE Awards in Berlin. Looking ahead, the Maker hopes to create more Wobble controllers and introduce multi-player concepts. Until then, you can check it out in the video below!

Lazy Pen combines word processing with the personal touch of handwriting

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This project distorts your typeface as you write using moving palettes placed beneath your palms.

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With the advent of digital technology, it’s safe to say that cursive writing has become a lost art — no longer used by adults, most likely not being taught to children. It’s a shame, though, as there’s just something about the emotional aspect associated with putting a pen to paper.

After receiving several notes from his grandmother, Maker Nicolas Nahornyj decided to combine the practical side of computer-based word processing with the personal touch of a good ol’ handwritten letter. To accomplish this, he developed a keyboard extension that allowed him to modulate his writing and produce his own typography in real-time.

Created at ECAL, the aptly named Lazy Pen enables him to distort the typeface as he writes using a set of moving palettes placed beneath his palms that transform “vertical and horizontal motions into kneecap movements.” The project is comprised of two parts: a removable recessed block for the keyboard and a desk with two trestles and a drawer for his MacBook. Meanwhile, a pair of joysticks taken from a remote control plane are used to accurately log the data.

“When you move your finger left or right on this keyboard, all the keys move like the Ondes Martenot music instrument,” the Maker explains.

In order to define the basic makeup of each letter, he devised a Processing application that allowed him to manipulate and modify their shapes. He then connected the app to an Arduino board tasked with collating and converting the raw analog data from the joysticks into digital information that could be interpreted by the “Adobe Illustrator-like software.”

Intrigued? Check out the Maker’s project page here, or see it in action below!

Atmel Studio 7 is now live!

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Atmel Studio 7 accelerates MCU designs for both developers and Makers alike, bridging the gap between the MakerSpace and MarketPlace.

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For those who may have attended the recent World Maker Faire in New York, this announcement should come as no surprise. However, if you were unable to get to the New York Hall of Science to swing by the Atmel booth or sit in on one of our panel discussions over the weekend, we’ve got some great news. The highly anticipated Atmel Studio 7 is now live!

Atmel Studio is a comprehensive, free integrated development environment (IDE) for microcontroller design using both Atmel | SMART ARM-based and AVR MCUs. What’s more, we are also excited to be launching Atmel START — a new, extremely intuitive graphical platform for creating and configuring embedded applications that allow developers to build custom software platforms.

Due to increased complexity and more demanding requirements, embedded developers are turning to IDEs to deliver more intelligence, performance and ease-of-use. Based on the latest Microsoft Visual Studio Shell, Atmel Studio 7 dramatically reduces overall design time by delivering significant performance enhancements for developing and debugging with a simple user interface, improved responsiveness for consumer, industrial and Maker markets, and much more. Plus, the brand-spankin’ new IDE provides real-time application data and power visualization to better optimize application performance and power utilization.

Ideal for the Maker community, the IDE lets Arduino developers quickly port their sketches created in the Arduino environment as C++ projects, and seamlessly migrate their prototypes into the professional Studio 7 environment. This will further streamline a Maker’s ability to help migrate their projects from ‘the MakerSpace to MarketPlace.’

Given the rise of the Internet of Things market and the projected billions of devices to follow, high quality, well integrated embedded software is key to enable designers to devise robust, smart solutions based on today’s connectivity and security standards. Cognizant of this, we are pleased to launch Atmel START which is a web-based tool that helps developers easily integrate basic software building blocks and focus on their own applications rather than having to deal with the headache of configuration and integration.

“Atmel Studio 7 IDE and Atmel START extend our commitment to bridge the gap between the Maker and professional environments, accelerating time-to-market for developers of all levels,” says Steve Pancoast, Atmel Vice President of Applications, Software and Tools. “Our new, innovative development tools and software provide Atmel’s customers with solutions for embedded system designs in low power and wireless communications such as our power visualizer and Atmel START. We are committed to bringing the best tools to market, enabling developers of all levels — from professionals to students, hobbyists and Makers — to get their projects quickly to market.”

Atmel START gives software developers the ability to graphically select software components and configure them for Atmel’s large family of evaluation boards or for their own custom hardware. Developers can build software platforms consisting of low-level drivers, advanced middleware, Real Time Operating Systems (RTOS), high-level communication stacks and more, as well as download the configured software package into their own IDE and make their application.

Atmel START supports graphical configuring of pin-muxes, along with clock trees, and the configured software package can be downloaded for a variety of supported development environments, such as Atmel Studio 7, IAR Embedded Workbench and Keil µVision. In addition to all that, the tool is entirely web-based so no installation is required before you get started — and the downloaded code will always be up-to-date.

“The Atmel START platform makes it easy for developers to get projects off the ground quickly and obtain the most benefit from working with ARM Keil MDK tools,” adds Reinhard Keil, ARM Director of Microcontroller Tools. “By using CMSIS, Atmel has once again proven the value of creating a platform built on a standards-based approach. Atmel START creates a robust and portable software management system that makes it easy for developers to deploy applications in any environment.”

Interested? Atmel Studio 7 is free of charge and is integrated with the Atmel Software Framework (ASF) — a large library of free source code with 1,600 project examples. Those wishing to get started with the IDE can head over to its official page here, as well as explore Atmel START in more depth by downloading the latest white paper on the platform.

Evapolar is the world’s first personal air conditioner

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This Arduino-powered device not only cools the air, it humidifies and cleans it as well. 

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Especially in the summertime, finding the perfect indoor temperature to accommodate others can be quite challenging. Some offices and schools blast the air conditioning to help with airflow, but this results in goosebumps even when it’s hot outside. At home, people often like to save energy and money, making conditions at home very uncomfortable and sweaty. Luckily, there’s now a solution to this common conundrum.

Aside from simply cooling you down, Evapolar is a personal air conditioner that humidifies and purifies the air around you. The device can sit on your desk, nightstand or tabletop, enabling you to enjoy your own climate, tailored to your temperature needs. It is even more natural, saving energy and money, as well as spreading coolness much like how air moves in nature, rather than producing a strong thread of cold air. In fact, the sleek gadget is eco-friendly and 12 times more energy efficient than its conventional counterparts.

Evapolar is portable and very easy to use. According to its creators, the device works by using the power of water evaporation and evaporative nanomaterial with mineral fibers. It absorbs a large amount of water and produces extremely intensive evaporation from its surface. The characteristics of the nanomaterial allow the size of the device to be even smaller, at one-tenth the size of your typical AC window unit.

Impressive, it takes less only one minute for the cooling effect to kick in and adjust the climate of your desired area with a radius of up to nine feet. Measuring just six inches all around, Evapolar is built around the versatile Arduino Nano (ATmega328). It includes a 710ml water tank and boasts a maximum cooling power of 500W. For its Indiegogo debut, the gadget is available in both white and back, but following the campaign will provide Makers with the option of building their own customizable prototype.

“We believe that technologies should serve in simple things every day. Evapolar is based on the unique technology, but we would like you to enjoy it every day instead of thinking about its complexity,” the startup’s co-founder Eugene Dubovoy explains.

Interested in keeping your cubicle or dorm room cool? Head over to Evapolar’s Indiegogo campaign, where the team is currently seeking $100,000. Delivery is slated for June 2016 — just in time to beat the summer heat!

This wearable device lets you touch your virtual reality world

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UnlimitedHand is the world’s first video game controller with newly-developed haptic feedback technology.

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It’s safe to say that virtual reality has grown leaps and bounds in recent years; however, despite these advancements, one thing that has been lacking was an interface that actually let you ’touch’ the VR world. This is exactly what one Tokyo-based startup set out to develop.

The team over at H2L has created what they’re calling the world’s first video game controller that enables you to feel things as if they existed in your real environment. UnlimitedHand is essentially a haptic sensor that goes around your arm and syncs with your hand to interact with onscreen objects.

Through Bluetooth, the wearable contraption delivers your finger and arm movements to the game while receiving data back that is felt in the form of haptic feedback. In other words, you will be able to grab, push, throw, hit and manipulate your digital surroundings as if you were really there.

The device, which straps around your forearm like an Ace bandage, is equipped with a muscle sensor, a 3D motion sensor, a multi-channel electronic muscle stimulator (EMS) and a vibration motor. The embedded motion and muscle sensors are tasked with recognizing user input, just like any other haptic gadget. UnlimitedHand then stimulates your muscles through EMS, controlling your fingers and hands while mirroring what’s happening in the game. By integrating this technology into the accessory, you will be able to ‘feel’ whatever your character experiences.

What will surely be appealing to developers, UnlimitedHand has made it easy to integrate with existing games through Unity plug-ins. Furthermore, its circuit is also Arduino-compatible, allowing Makers to hack it for a wide range of other applications. Whether it’s feeling the strings of a virtual guitar as it’s being played or commanding a robotic arm, the possibilities are endless. Intrigued? Head over to its Kickstarter campaign, which has already garnered well over its asking goal of $20,000. Units are expected to begin shipping in March 2016

ZeroPi is an Arduino and Raspberry Pi-compatible dev kit

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ZeroPi is an ARM Cortex-M0+-based development board for robotic motion structure systems, 3D printers, CNC machines and more.

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ZeroPi is an Arduino and Raspberry Pi-compatible development kit for robotic motion structure systems and 3D printers. Based on the mighty Atmel | SMART SAM D21, the next-generation board is capable of controlling 11 micro servos and either eight DC motors or four stepper motors simultaneously.

Equipped with a four-channel SLOT interface, the module is compatible with today’s most common stepper motors and DC drivers, and supports open source sensors. ZeroPi will certainly be an appealing option for a wide range of applications, from 3D printing and CNC machines to mobile robots. In fact, the board boasts specially designed M4 holes that are well suited for Makeblock aluminum mechanical parts used in many DIY projects.

Additionally, Makers can take comfort in knowing that ZeroPi can be programmed with the highly popular Arduino IDE, giving you access to a number of easy-to-use libraries. According to its creators, a series of example codes for ZeroPi will be made available, such as an encoder readout and temperature monitoring.

And that’s not all. By simply plugging the SAM D21 powered board into the Raspberry Pi’s connector, you can also unlock countless features, spanning from tablet and wireless control to Bluetooth connectivity. With RPi, you can install a web browser to command the motors and servos directly, as well as remotely monitor your 3D print job. It can even interface with Java Script.

On top of all that, the team was able to successfully port the Marlin and Repetier firmware to ZeroPi for use in a vast majority of open source 3D printers. Not only does this eliminate the need for an expansion board, the kit is four times faster than the Arduino Mega, cheaper and half its size.

“ZeroPi is also specially designed for motion structure systems. We have built many projects to test its functions and discover more possibilities from simple to complex systems of robotic,” the team adds. “We built a Johnny-Five robot, based on [the] Johnny-Five library by using ZeroPi to control this large motion structure and achieve the image recognition function and wireless control.”

Aside from the SAMD21J18 at its core, other key specs of the ZeroPi include:

• Operating voltage: 3.3V
• General purpose I/O pins: 35
• UART: 2
• Analog input pins: 4, 12-bit ADC channels
• Analog output pins: 1, 10-bit DAC
• DC current per I/O pin: 7mA
• Flash: 256KB
• SRAM: 32KB
• Clock speed: 48MHz

Intrigued? Head over to ZeroPi’s Kickstarter campaign, where it is currently seeking $5,000. Delivery is estimated for December 2015.

A first look at Maker Faire New York 2015

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Heading to the New York Hall of Science this weekend? You’ll find some big names inside the Atmel booth.

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Are you excited? We sure are! Atmel is getting ready to take center stage at the 6th Annual World Maker Faire in New York City this weekend, September 26th and 27th. And boy, are we in for a treat! This year will surely be yet another amazing event with more than 830 Makers and 85,000 attendees expected to flock the New York Hall of Science. Once again, as a Silversmith Sponsor of the show, we’ll be shining the spotlight on a wide range of AVR and Atmel | SMART powered projects inside our booth.

Our team is currently en route to Flushing Meadows, where you will soon find us setting up our space in Zone 3. (Program guide available here.) Over the two-day span, we will be showcasing a wide range of gizmos and gadgets from DIYers and startups who have successfully taken their idea from the ‘MakerSpace to MarketPlace.’ Among the names you will see:

Arduino

Found at the heart of the Maker community, Arduino is an open-source electronics platform based on easy-to-use hardware and software.

Arduboy

Arduboy is an open source, credit card-sized device for people to play, create and share their favorite 8-bit games.

Keyboardio

Keyboardio‘s Model 01 is an heirloom-grade keyboard for serious typists, which features a beautiful hardwood body, an advanced ergonomic design, and is fully programmable with the Arduino IDE.

Microduino

Microduino are quarter-sized, stackable building blocks that allow Makers of all ages and skill levels to bring robots, music boxes and countless other projects to life.

Modulo

Modulo is a set of tiny modular boards that takes the hassle out of building electronics, giving Makers the ability to develop custom electronics for their project without having to design and assemble circuits from scratch.

Qtechknow

Quin Etnyre is a 14-year-old Maker, teacher and entrepreneur, who fell in love with Arduino after attending his first Maker Faire at the age of 10. The whiz kid recently successfully funded his Qduino Mini, an Arduino-compatible tiny board with a built-in battery charger and monitor.

Zippy Robotics

Prometheus from Zippy Robotics lets Makers create real circuit board right from their desktop in just minutes.

Bosch

Bosch Sensotec has developed a prototype indoor navigation device based on Arduino and the BNO055 sensor, which will enable firefighters to quickly escape from dangerous dark or smoke-filled structures.

And that’s not all…

Look who’s talking now!

Don’t miss Atmel’s Henrik Flodell as he explores the ways to Take Your Arduino Prototype to the Next Level on Saturday from 11:00am-11:30am on the MAKE: Electronics stage. He will be immediately followed by the Wizard of Make Bob Martin who will demonstrate how to Stretch Your Arduino Environment to Get the Visibility You Need. 

On Sunday, Atmel VP of Marketing Sander Arts will hop on the MAKE: Electronics stage at 11:30am to reveal how Makers with an entrepreneurial spirit can Turn Their Prototype Into a Business. Several hours later at 4:00pm, Atmel Head of Social Media Artie Beavis will moderate a lively discussion between Bob Martin, 14-year-old CEO Quin Etnyre, Arduino’s Tom Igoe and Dr. Michael Wang on the ways Arduino Opens New Doors for Educators and Students.

Go behind the scenes!

You don’t have to be a reader of EDN.com to enjoy a unique meet-up hosted by the site’s LEDitor-in-Chief Lee Goldberg, which will taking place on Saturday 10:30am. The VIP walking tour will take you backstage several of the event’s most interesting exhibits, namely Atmel. You’ll also walk away with tons of t-shirts, evaluation kits and lots of other cool swag.

Those wishing to participate are encouraged to meet in front of the rocket-shaped “Forms in Transit” sculpture, located at the traffic circle that’s just beyond the main entrance. The actual tour of the Faire grounds will kick off at 11:00am sharp! With only 25 spots available, reservations are strongly recommended. To RSVP, write Lee at LEDitor@green-electronics.com.

Can’t ‘make’ it to the Faire? Don’t worry!

You can always follow @Atmel live on Twitter for the latest updates, trends and happenings. What’s more, we’ll even be bringing the show to you live via Periscope. Stay tuned!

RePhone is the world’s first open source, modular smartphone

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Seeed Studio’s new kit enables Makers to create their own phone and hack inanimate things with the power of cellular communication.

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When it comes to electronics, the concept of modularity continues to rise in popularity — and rightfully so. Rather than have to endure the high cost of a new gadget every few years, you’ll soon be able to swap out individual parts and simply upgrade your existing device whenever necessary. Reminiscent of Google’s Project Ara, our friends over at Seeed Studio have joined the party by launching a Kickstarter campaign for a DIY smartphone made entirely from open source components.

Called RePhone, the modular kit enables you to create your own phone as well as hack other objects around you by giving them the power of cellular communication. Pretty cool, right? The unit itself is built around the RePhone GSM + BLE module, or the RePhone Core 3G module which provides faster data connection yet lacks Bluetooth. But that’s not all.

Seeed will offer an assortment of Xadow add-on modules, each with their own set of unique features. These include a 1.54” touchscreen, an Arduino-compatible MCU (ATmega32U4), a basic sensor board, a GPS board, an audio board, a 5×7 LED board, a GSM breakout board and an NFC board. These can be connected using an FPC cable (11 or 35 pin), soldered wires, conductive thread or a breadboard. Plus, the DIY device is powered a 520mAh battery.

Additionally, Seeed has unveiled a RePhone Create Kit, which lets you design and customize a phone enclosure out of kraft paper. This material is sewable, washable, and most importantly, easy to draw on. Makers will be able to personalize their cases in all sorts of shapes, colors and styles.

The modular gadget is indeed a fully-functional tool, which can be used like any other everyday phone to make and receive calls, send text messages, and play music. Seeed has devised Arduino, Lua and Javascript libraries, as well as a full power SDK based on Eclipse for C/C++ developers. What’s more, the RePhone can be programmed with IFTTT logic. This allows you to define and implement recipes for various actions, such as being notified if your dog wanders off or your bike gets lost.

“The modular design of RePhone brings limitless DIY possibilities. Those tiny neat blocks can be fit into a phone enclosure of any size, shape, or style you like,” Seeed Studio writes. “You can make your RePhone even cooler with different materials like leather, fabric and bamboo. Build a sturdy case with 3D printing, laser cutting, CNC and injection molding.”

To top it all off, the device is compatible with both the Arduino and Pebble. RePhone creates alternative ways to communicate with inanimate things in your physical world over GSM and 3G, whether that’s a walking cane phone for grandpa, a GPS pet collar, an interactive t-shirt or a rigged desk lamp. The possibilities are endless.

Ready to piece together your own RePhone? Although Seeed Studio has already completed its Kickstarter campaign, which garnered over $276,000, you can still pre-order yours today here.