Unlock the world’s first Bluetooth padlock with your phone

With back-to-school season in full swing, you will undoubtedly find a good ol’ padlock on your shopping list in the coming days. In an attempt to eradicate the frustration of losing one’s keys and forget lock combinations forever, the team at FUZ Designs has introduced Noke, the world’s first Bluetooth padlock.

The Noke (pronounced No-Key) communicates via Bluetooth with a paired Android or iOS smartphone. If a specified phone comes within a 10-foot range, the device unlocks. The Noke can even be programmed to open for multiple smartphones if a number of users share the same lock. Sharing can even be enabled for full-time, one-time, or customizable usage patterns. One of the most common uses today for a padlock comes on a bike rack; therefore, the Noke comes with a tailor-made bike chain.

As for the lock itself, the water-resistant unit is built from boron and hardened steel to ward off even the most proficient lock picks. The battery within the hardened housing is said to last over a year with regular use and the team made sure that battery replacement was not a daunting task.

For such a small device, the Noke does have a surprising amount of utility in the modern world. In an office setting, the Noke app’s history feature can be used to see when a lock is accessed and by who. Also, if the battery happens to fail or your phone is misplaced, the lock can be opened with a custom click input. The code can be programmed by using the lock’s shank to load a custom code. “If you’re ever without your phone, simply key in those clicks and your Noke will instantly unlock for you,” a company rep explains.

Just days after hitting Kickstarter, FUZ Designs has well surpassed its original $100,000, attaining over $280,000 from over 2,800 backers. Ideally, the first Noke units will be shipped in February 2015. For more information about the Noke, or if you’re interested in obtaining your own padlock, head over to the FUZ Designs Kickstarter page here.

Snaptrax: Wearable tech with serious style

For some of us, the terms “wearable tech” conjures up images of Steve Mann’s backpack-mounted computer or those terribly embarrassing pocket protectors of the ’80s, even if those weren’t quite considered “technology.” From watches to rings, innovators are doing everything they can to stand out in today’s wearable marketplace. As previously discussed on Bits & Pieces, the industry stands for a greater chance of mass consumer adoption if it can somehow find a way to increase its chicness. A recent report noted that in order for wearable devices to swiftly move beyond just smart glasses and watches, it will need to embrace products in a wider variety of sectors, including style and glamor.

It appears an Australian Maker by the name of Will Miller has done just that. In an attempt to bring fashion forward, the mastermind has unveiled a sleek snapback cap. Snaptrax — which recently launched on Kickstarter — offers wearers hands-free and headphone-free voice command to connect, control and interact with their smartphones. Embedded with a Bluetooth module in its brim, as well as microphone and speakers in the corners of the cap, it appears no different than a traditional baseball cap. Subsequently, this allows for the user to inconspicuously make and receive calls, respond to texts and emails, not to mention control music.

From his experience in the fast paced music industry, Miller had encountered the problem of fumbling and dropping his phone while on the go. The Maker conceived Snaptrax when he was conversing with a friend and observed that many of his peers were currently donning baseball caps. In a moment of genius, he proclaimed, “Imagine if we hid a bluetooth device within the cap lining to allow a user to send messages, answer phone calls, even play your music all controlled with your own voice!”

Who could benefit from such a device? According to its Kickstarter page, Snaptrax appeals to athletes, tradesmen, drivers, parents, and other active individuals. The team is focused on those with on the go lifestyles and is attempting to maintain an ideal hybrid of functionality and style. “Obviously we don’t want the whole lining to be filled with batteries.” Miller tells Gizmag that the group is aiming for “around a 90 minute charge time and a couple of days use at a time.”

The team is currently focusing on the iOS platform, but an Android application is in the plans. In the future, the team is looking to release a software developer’s kit for the wearable control unit so that global contributors can help improve the product as it evolves. The Snaptrax team will also be looking to incorporate new designs including visors and bucket hats. To learn more about the Snaptrax project, feel free to head over to its official Kickstarter page here.

Who’s talking about Atmel’s IoT expansion?

Earlier today, Atmel announced a definitive agreement to acquire Newport Media, Inc., a move which further expands the company’s wireless portfolio to include Wi-Fi 802.11n and Bluetooth. In just hours, the acquisition was covered by a number of prominent tech publications, including Reuters, VentureBeat, PC World, Bloomberg, Fox Business and eWeek.

Soham Chatterjee, Reuters 

“Atmel said its chips paired with Newport’s gears can be used in a variety of products ranging from home and building automation equipments to consumer devices that require longer battery life.”

Dean Takahashi, Venture Beat

“The Internet of Things market is expected to be huge as everyday devices become smarter and connected to the Internet. Atmel, which makes microcontrollers and touchscreen tech, wants to be a player in this emerging market. By adding Newport Media, a maker of low-power Wi-Fi and Bluetooth chips, Atmel will expand its portfolio for the Internet of Things, where large numbers of sensors have to communicate data wirelessly to the Internet.”

Agam Shah, PCWorld

“Arduino boards are largely based on Atmel’s MCUs, but mostly don’t have wireless due to their size and cost constraints. With devices becoming more connected, Atmel will be able to package wireless on electronics or developer boards used to prototype wearable devices and robots.”

Interested in learning more? You can read the full press release here.

 

iPod hacking with Android and Arduino

A Maker with the handle “Erroneous Data” has posted a detailed Instructables explaining how to hack an old iPod using an Atmel-based Arduino Uno (ATmega328 MCU) and Android. Oh, and yes. There is no need to break out the soldering gun for this project.

“Just leave [your] old iPod plugged into the stereo and your music will start to play when you walk in the door. The Arduino acts as a liaison between the iPod and your Droid,” Erroneous Data explained.

“Since the iPod device is connected directly to your stereo, it eliminates any error that can occur when streaming the music to a separate device.”

Key features include:

• Auto connect
• Auto play
• Auto pause
• In-call pause
• Alarm

As HackADay’s Brian Benchoff reports, with the right resistance on a specific pin on the 30-pin dock connector, iPods will send the track name and playlists over a serial connection, all while responding to play, pause, skip and volume commands.

“There hasn’t been much work towards implementing the copious amount of documentation of this iPod accessory mode in small microcontroller projects. [However], with a little bit of work, [he] managed to replicate the usual iPod dock commands with an Arduino,” said Benchoff.

“Using an HC-05 Bluetooth module, it’s possible to get this iPod-connected Arduino to relay data to and from an Android device with a small app. The circuit is simple, the app is free, and if you have an iPod with an old battery or cracked screen, it can still work as a music storage device.”

Interested in learning more? You can check out the project’s official Instructables page here.

Samsung builds a Smart Bike

Designed by Italian frame-builder Giovanni Pelizzoli and student Alice Biotti, the Samsung Smart Bike is built around an aluminum frame that boasts curved tubes to soak up vibrations from riding on rough city streets.

As Gizmag’s Ben Coxworth reports, a rearview camera is located between the seat stays of the frame to stream live video feeds to a handlebar-mounted Samsung smartphone.

“There are four lasers built into the frame, that project a bike lane onto the road on either side of the bike, as it’s moving. Those lasers automatically come on as ambient light levels drop, as detected by the smartphone,” writes Coxworth.

“Additionally, an app on the phone uses GPS to make a note of routes that are often traveled by the cyclist. It then offers the option of notifying city officials of those routes, with the suggestion that they add officially-designated bicycle lanes.”

The frame is also equipped with a battery, Atmel based Arduino board, as well as WiFi and Bluetooth modules.

Interested in learning more? Ride on over to Smart Bike’s official page here.

Braille gets a 21st century makeover

Researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology recently developed an app called BrailleTouch, which transposes a six-figure braille keyboard on a smartphone.

Essentially, an individual holds the phone with the screen facing away, using the same finger patterns as on the Perkins Brailler (index, middle and ring) to perform braille chords on the touchscreen – with different finger combinations producing various characters. 

However, there is often a lack of feedback because touchscreen devices are typically equipped with flat and featureless surfaces.

As such, it may not be clear which fingers have been recognized by the device – simply because the user only receives feedback once a chord has already been entered. 

That is precisely why an international team of researchers are developing a system known as HoliBraille that combines chord input with a series of vibrations, effectively informing the user what the system is registering.

According to Kyle Montague and Hugo Nicolau of the University of Dundee, the HoliBraille case can be attached to a Samsung Android phone.

“It feeds information to the user in the form of vibrations felt through the fingers before the chord is committed and an error has been made,” the duo explained.

“We use an Arduino to talk to the phone case via Bluetooth. The case then passes on the information by activating individual vibro-tactile motors next to the fingers that make up the chords.”

It should be noted that preliminary results indicate the system is 100% accurate for single finger vibrations and 82% accurate on chord input. In addition, HoliBraille could ultimately be used to pass on messages between a range of devices, such as ATMs or desktop computers.

Interested in learning more? You can check the full text of “Good vibrations bring braille into the 21st century” on The Conversation here.

BlueMatrix: An Arduino-based LED matrix display

Designed by Dentella Luca, BlueMatrix can be controlled remotely via a PC, smartphone or tablet.

Key project components include:

• An Atmel-based Arduino Uno (ATmega328 MCU)
• 
LED matrix display based on the HC1632C controller
• 
Lipo Rider
• 
Lipo Fuel Gauge
• 
HC-05 Bluetooth module
• 5mm plexiglas enclosure

The modules are connected as follows:

“The Arduino Uno is the heart of the project, [as] it manages the display, checks the battery status and talks (using a simple protocol) with the controlling device (Windows application or Android app),” Luca explained in a recent blog post.

“The BlueMatrix is powered by a Li-po battery (1 cell). The battery’s state of charge is monitored by Lipo Fuel Gauge, which sends the actual SoC (State of Charge) value to Arduino via I2C bus. The Lipo Rider module rises the battery voltage to 5V to power all the other modules and allows it to recharge the battery using a simple, mini-USB power supply.”

Meanwhile, the HC-05 module is tasked with managing Bluetooth connectivity.

“After having established the connection with the remote device, it transparently transport the data received/transmitted by Arduino via serial connection,” said Luca.

On the software side, Luca developed two applications to control BlueMatrix: a .Net application (developed in C#) and an Android app.

“BlueMatrix was designed to be portable, therefore I suppose that it will be mostly controlled using a smartphone; this is the reason why the Android app is better designed than the desktop one and it’s also available on Google’s Play Store,” he added.

Interested in learning more? You can check out the official BlueMatrix project page here and download the Arduino sketch on GitHub here.

SmartWood goes old school on Kickstarter

SmartWood – which recently hit Kickstarter – is a lineup of smartphone controlled models powered by Atmel’s ATmega8 microcontroller (MCU).

“No technical skills are necessary to assemble and use a Smartwood model, even if you’ve never built a robot before,” a SmartWood rep explained. “It’s affordable, readily expandable and the perfect hobby to do with your kids or even on your own.”

Aside from Atmel’s ATmega8 microcontroller, key technical specs and features include:

• Onboard 5V regulator
• Power supply voltage: 5-9V
• DC Motor Driver up to 2A per channel
• Supports up to 8 Servos
• Built in LED connected to D13
• Battery level monitoring
• Master on and off switch
• Compatible with the Bluetooth Module supplied with the controller

Currently, the following five SmartWood models are available on the crowd funding website: MiniBot, Crawler, Dragster, Truck and a Kickstarter special edition vehicle.

Interested in learning more about the Atmel-powered SmartWood? You can check out the project’s official Kickstarter page here.

Video: Interactive m!Qbe redefines lighting

The Atmel-powered m!Qbe is an intuitive, interactive platform that allows users to easily control multiple lights. The system comprises a number of components, including the m!Qbe (central) module, m!base, m!charger and WiFi.

The m!Qbe is designed to be used in one room with an m!Base and should, depending on the layout, cover a circle with a diameter of 20 meters.

“Just flip it and switch to the suitable lighting situation for your current activity such as low yellowish light to relax on the couch, bright white light to read the newspaper or different colors for your birthday party,” an m!Qbe rep explained in a recent Indiegogo post.

“Use it in everyday life with many more possibilities than a traditional light switch and much faster than manual control on a mobile device.”

Indeed, the m!Qbe’s three faces, or sides, are designed to “memorize” specific settings.

“You predefine them once and recall them whenever you like,” said the rep.

“In addition, you can add a delay on every favorite. So you can go to bed or leave your home in bright light for instance. The m!Qbe [will] automatically turn off all your [lights] after a while.”

As you can see in the video above, the m!Qbe can be rotated to manually change color or brightness, while a brief touch on the icon switches from one light to another, allowing the user to easily select and adjust specific fixtures.

So, how does the platform work?

 Essentially, the m!Base component communicates with the m!Qbe and the network of lights.

“It converts the detected motion into lighting situations and provides access to the settings of the m!Qbe,” the rep continued.

“The installation of the m!Base is a plug and play solution. In its standard configuration you connect the m!Base with a cable to your network. If you want to connect it wirelessly, please order the WiFi option.”

As noted above, the m!Qbe is built around an Atmel 8-bit microcontroller (MCU), which uses data generated from a three-axis acceleration sensor and a three-axis gyro sensor to precisely calculate motion.

“Additionally on each of the two manual faces, a capacitive touch sensor is integrated and allows to detect touch actions of different lengths. In the m!Base a Linux system transfers the commands received via bluetooth from the m!Qbe to commands for every single lamp in the network,” the rep added.

“For the configuration of this transfer and to read out statistical information a web interface is implemented. If you want to extend the functions of the m!Qbe the easiest way is to modify the software of the m!Base.”

Last, but certainly not least, m!Qbe supports the Philips Hue system that includes not only the connected bulbs but also Friends of Hue such as LightStrips and LivingColors Bloom, along with dimming plugs for more traditional lamps.

Interested in learning more? You can check out the official m!Qbe page on Indiegogo here.

Video: Creating a DIY Spotify remote

The UK-based HackShed crew has created a DIY Spotify remote powered by an Atmel-based Arduino board paired with an LCD keypad shield.

The remote displays the current (playing) song, as well as supporting various functions such as play/pause, previous and next.

“The remote is made from a VB.NET application that listens on a select COM port for commands; it also broadcasts the current playing song via the COM port to the Arduino,” Steve from HackShed explained in a detailed blog post.

“You could add a Bluetooth module to this to make it completely wireless, which would be really cool.”

The HackShed crew kicks off the DIY Spotify remote project by building an Arduino sketch that scans the serial port for incoming characters (current song), “listens” for button presses and Serial.println() commands, while displaying the current song on the LCD with scrolling text.

“These three tasks are actually really simple to do; most of the hard work will be on the .NET application side that sends commands to Spotify,” Steve noted.

“The Arduino refreshes the LCD Screen every 3500ms. This is optional but it seemed better that it was constantly scrolling instead of just static text; moving text seems less boring.”

Next up? Visual Studio and the actual Spotify control class coded by Steffest way back in 2009. Essentially, the application works by listening and sending information on the same COM port as the Arduino.

“The application listens for 3 commands (play/plause, prev, next) once these get detected they send the relevant command over to the Spotify application. Information about the current song is then sent to the COM port and received by the Arduino, which outputs this to the attached LCD screen,” Steve added.

“As you can see, the only options you have is to select a COM port (this should be the Arduino’s COM port) and a connect/disconnect button. [Plus], the console window at the bottom updates in realtime as to what is getting sent/received from the Arduino.”

Interested in learning more? You can check out the project’s official project page on HackShed here.