Preview: World Maker Faire New York 2014

Are you excited? We sure are! Atmel is getting ready to take center stage at the 5th Annual World Maker Faire 2014 in New York City on September 20th and 21st. Undoubtedly, this year will be amazing as an expected 750+ Makers and 85,000+ attendees head to the New York Hall of Science to see the latest DIY gizmos and gadgets. Once again a Silversmith Sponsor of the event, Atmel will put the spotlight on everything from Arduino to Arduino-related projects.

Our team is en route to Flushing Meadows-Corona Park, where you will soon find us setting up booth #EP24. (Program guide available here.) During this weekend’s show, we will be showcasing a wide range of projects, platforms and devices from the Makers and companies inspiring today’s DIY Movement.

Even better, you don’t need to wait until Saturday for the making to begin! On the evening of Friday, September 19th, Atmel and Arduino will be hosting a Maker Meet & Greet at the New York Hall of Science. Starting at 6:30pm, join the one-and-only Massimo Banzi and Atmel’s Reza Kazerounian for live demos, Q&A with guests, a paella dinner and… wait for it…. a special announcement! Space is limited and RSVP is required. Those interested may send a request to pr@atmel.com.

So, what else will you find in booth #EP24?

Bob Martin, also known as Atmel’s Wizard of Make and Warp Drive Propulsion Engineer, will be demonstrating uToT Robots and hacking Hexbugs.

Dan Ujvari, Atmel’s MakerBot Magician and Senior FAE, will be showcasing some of his latest creations from a MakerBot desktop 3D printer.

Arduino will be highlighting some of its latest boards, as well as exploring basic principles of electronics and programming. Booth visitors will have the chance to experience firsthand how easy it is to make LEDs blink, turn motors and make buzzers buzz.

Quin Etnyre, 13-year-old CEO of QTechknow, will be hosting his robotics challenge, “The Qtechknow Olympics.”

SparkFun will be joining us in our booth to run a number of soldering workshops, where participants will have the chance to solder new PTH SparkFun interactive badges! Once soldered, these badges will become a trivia game. The participant can put the badges into three small interactive stations which have electronics-based trivia questions on them. If the questions are answered correctly, the stations add points to the badges. Each point adds a new color to the LED on the top of the badge. Points add up to discounts at SparkFun.com!

littleBits, who just announced the launch of the “app store” for hardware store bitLab, will show off a number of their latest electronic building blocks — perfect for young Makers and those looking to hop onboard the DIY train.

AVR Man, the Maker community’s favorite superhero will be in attendance for the first time EVER!

Look who’s talking! Don’t miss Saturday’s Curiosity, Imagination and Motivation: The Natural Inclinations of Young Makers panel discussion on the MAKE: Live Stage at 5:30pm. Atmel’s Bob Martin and Daniel Ujvari will explore the how the STEM initiative and Maker Movement are influencing young Makers and helping to create tomorrow’s industry innovators. The panel will feature Arduino’s Massimo Banzi, Qtechknow’s Quin Etnyre, and littleBits’ Ayah Bdeir.

… and wait, there’s more! We’ll be giving away a number of Atmel Xplained Mini Pro Evaluation Kits all weekend.

Here’s how it works:

Step 1: Tweet a pic of you and @TheAVRMan using the hashtag #AtmelMakes.
Step 2: Once your tweet is favorited by AVR Man, come on by the Atmel booth.
Step 3: Submit your contact information and away you go with a free kit. (While supplies last.)

Aside from kits, you can walk away with an Atmel Maker Bag, flair, stickers or even a pair of Atmel Maker Converse (which are amazing… and available for purchase).

World Maker Faire will kick off at the New York Hall of Science on Saturday, September 20th, from 10am to 7pm and Sunday, September 21st, from 10am to 6pm. Can’t make it to the Faire? You can always follow @Atmel live on Twitter for the latest updates, trends and happenings from the show. Tweet #AtmelMakes!

A braille printer, a retro robot, a marshmallow canon, or perhaps even a prototype of the next big IoT device? If you’re feeling inspired this weekend go and make something, don’t forget to submit your 8-bit idea for a chance to win $1,500 in cash, social stardom and of course, some Atmel swag.

In anticipation of this weekend, here’s a look back at last year’s Faire. We can’t wait to see what unfolds this year!

Prepare a spot of tea with ATtiny85

When making tea, do you always seem to have trouble perfectly timing the brew? Maker Suvinks could certainly relate, and as a result, has devised a littleBits-controlled robotic tea timer. Now, instead of failing to remove the teabag at the optimal time — whether because you were chatting with a friend or reading an Atmel blog — the gadget will take care of the task and notify you when it’s time to enjoy your hot beverage.

Inspired by an Instructable from TaipeiHackerSpace, Suvinks set out to put his own spin on the tiny tea maker. He even took the ‘tiny’ aspect to another level by powering the system with an ATtiny85 chip. The tinyAVR MCU powers a micro servo, some switches, and a piezo buzzer that enables the teabag to be dunked into boiling water repeatedly.

Suvinks put together the circuit on a basic prototyping board and then looked to upload the appropriate software. Admittedly the Maker says the code employed is not the most desirable for the project, but can accomplish the task at hand.

With the brains of the operation complete, Suvinks needed to create a durable frame for the contraption. He cut out his framework from a 3mm piece of plywood that should be available at most hobby shops. Lastly, he assembled his unit with the help of some double-sided tape. A 9v battery was linked to the circuit to power the arm while a screw was fastened to the end of the arm to make holding the tea bag an easier task.

Suvinks is accepting any ideas for improving his design over on the project’s official Instructables page. Cheers!

Explore any environment with the ATmega1280 powered DR1 Rover

An Italian Maker going by the name “Fxxxx” recently set out to create a compact, yet highly functional rover robot based upon an Arduino Mega (ATmega1280) core. His design is incredibly sophisticated and a true triumph of innovation!

According to the Maker, the key objective behind the project entitled “DR1” was to design a robot that featured localization, light following and obstacle detection, all while remaining in a relatively small body. Unlike other RC vehicles, the DR1 can be controlled by a PC or Mac thanks to its intricate XBee-based wireless connection. “This proprietary connection protocol ensures real-time information and commands. The robot sends to the home base the data (a string formed by all informations like: motors speed, real power from each motor, revolutions for second, direction, light intensity and more). The home base answers with a string containing the commands like decreasing motor speed, turn right or so.”

Our Maker notes some of the initial challenges included the ability to design a body and a component’s disposition which could reduce wire connections and at the same time respect the right and logical place for each component. He details that, “The real challenge was to reduce power consumption of each component choosing a battery which could give the robot a considerable autonomy.” Elaborating further Fxxxx adds, “At the same time not exceed the maximum weight limit based on engineering calculations about torque force of the small engines.”

To overcome this feat, Fxxxx selected the ATmega1280 powered Arduino board as the brains of the project, given its high-performance and low-power capabilities. “Beaglebone or Raspberry PI would allow more calculations onboard but they are more energy dependent,” the Maker notes.

The DR1 sports a plethora of features that are seriously impressive for a DIY project. The wireless PC/Mac connectivity goes hand in hand with a camera capable of live-streaming. The implemented distance sensor system collaborates with an indoor localization unit that enables the DR1 to have precise movement capabilities within space.

While all of that would be perfectly acceptable in any home robot design, the DR1 also boasts four separate drive modes. The traditional manual control exists with inputs read from the PC/Mac. Also, the DR1 can autonomously navigate and attempt to cover the largest area possible.

With two light sensors installed on the front of the unit, the DR can follow light. Fxxxx breaks down the process by saying, “When a light is detected the robot starts following it. If the amount of light starts growing on the left sensor then the robot changes direction to follow the light.” Though, the Maker admits his favorite drive mode is semi-autonomous. In this mode, the user inputs an X and Y coordinate, and the DR1 does its best to reach the destination.

Interested in devising your own rover? Head over to Fxxxx’s Instructables page, where you will find a detailed step-by-step breakdown.

DIY by the numbers: Why the Maker Movement is here to stay

Throughout the world, millions of engineers, Makers, hobbyists, entrepreneurs and innovators are fueling what has been dubbed as the next “Industrial Revolution.”

“The next Industrial Revolution is right around the corner, and it’s going to be bigger than the Internet — or so says a growing army of hackers, designers, artists and entrepreneurs,” USA Today’s Tyler Wells recently penned in a piece detailing the rise of DIY culture, contributing its emergence to the low-cost, high-imagination level of makerspaces popping up across the country.

In the United States alone, there are approximately 135 million adult Makers — that’s well over half (57%) of the American population ages 18 and up — not including children and teens both interested in STEM and tinkering. Evident by the plethora of Maker Faires, makerspaces and other hubs spanning across the nation, this segment is expanding rapidly in size and economic heft. In fact, did you know the Maker Movement pumps roughly $29 billion into the economy each year? What’s even more impressive is that these figures will surely grow as more and more of the population is introduced to and begins to embrace the DIY culture.

“With the right motivation and time on your hands, you can now go through your own personal industrial revolution in 90 days, and can launch a company or product within those 90 days,” TechShop CEO Mark Hatch explains. Furthering the Techshop CEO’s belief, Gartner’s Jim Tully recently projected that by 2018, nearly 50% of the Internet of Things solutions would be provided by startups which are less than three years old.

Martha Stewart, who recently demonstrated her passion for the growing drone community, has also emphasized the importance of the movement time and time again. The queen of DIY revealed, “The Maker spirit is vital to our economy. In the U.S., 28 million small businesses create nearly two out of every three new jobs and employ half the private sector workforce. That’s why I believe it’s so important to support what they do. After so many years of seeking and spotlighting these creative entrepreneurs, I am excited that this movement has finally come to the forefront of American culture.”

Yet, the Maker Movement isn’t only limited to hobbyists and engineers but has transcended well beyond the walls of the 200-plus hackerspaces and labs. Not only is the notion of DIY being seeded and nurtured by Makers, it is in full blossom throughout the world at rapid pace, ranging from consumer products and mainstream retail to manufacturing and consumer goods.

These statistics are a mere testament to the emergence of the movement. Hear ye hear ye, a renaissance is underway!

• In 2013, there were 100 Maker Faires around the world including its two flagship events in the Bay Area and New York and 93 worldwide mini-faires.
• There were over 280,000 Maker Faire attendees in total last year, with a 62% rise in attendance from 2009 to 2013.
• Around 70,000 people headed to World Maker Faire in 2013, with 47% of them being new attendees.
• The White House held its inaugural Maker Faire in 2014. “Today’s D.I.Y. is tomorrow’s ‘Made in America.'”
• MAKE Magazine subscriptions are up to 125,00 and growing at a rate of 20% annually.
• There are now over 200 hackerspaces across the United States. (New York Times, May 2013)
• There approximately 350 Fab Labs spanning across 40 countries. (World Bank, August 2014)
• 3 million people pledged over $480 million in crowdfunding projects in 2013. (The Next Web, January 2014)
• The world’s crowdfunding sites reached close to $5 billion in transactions last year. (Forbes, April 2013)
• Since its launch in 2009, more than $116 million has been raised for over 1,400 technology projects — a number of which have been hardware gadgets powered by Atmel
• By 2025, crowdfunding investment market is projected to reach $93 billion. (PBS, December 2013)
• The 3D printing market is projected to be worth $8 billion by 2020 (MarketsandMarkets, November 2013)
• World demand for 3D printing is projected to increase more than 20% per year to $5 billion in 2017. (Reports and Reports, December 2013)
• Worldwide shipments of 3D printers priced less than $100,000 grew 49% in 2013, reaching a total of 56,507 units. (Gartner, October 2013)
• The U.S. market for 3D printer manufacturing will reach $1.4 billion in 2014, attaining a CAGR of 22.8% from 2009 to 2014. (Forbes, August 2014)
• 3D printers will grow from a $288 million market in 2012 to $5.7 billion in 2017, attaining an 81.9% CAGR. (Forbes, August 2014) 
• Much of the growth in 3D printing from 2014 to 2020 will come from the healthcare and aerospace industries. (MarketsandMarkets, November 2013)
• 67% of manufacturers are currently implementing 3D printing either in full production or pilot and 25% intend to adopt 3D printing in the future. (Forbes, August 2014)
• 48% of large manufacturers plan on returning production in the United States. (BCG, April 2012)
• About 14% of U.S. companies definitely plan to move some of their manufacturing back home. (Wall Street Journal, July 2014)
• Chris Anderson estimates that the DIY Drone community currently boasts well over 15,000 drones, compared to just 7,000 “professional” drones in use worldwide by military forces.
• Etsy has 875,000 shops with 13,000,000 items and out of those, 2,900,000 items sold monthly. (BitRebels, June 2012)
• There are also 15 million DIYers in over 150 countries on Etsy with 690,000 new members joining each month. (BitRebels, June 2012)
• It was estimated in mid-2011 that over 300,000 official Arduinos had been commercially produced, and in 2013 that 700,000 official boards were in users’ hands. (Medea, April 2013)
• Distributors estimate that over one million Atmel powered Arduinos have been sold since 2005. (Designboom, September 2013)

As Arduino’s Michael Shiloh explained, “It [Maker Movement] is sort of like cooking. You don’t need to be a chef to cook, but almost everyone can cook something.” Without question, the Maker Movement has already and will continue to thrive in our DIY-centric culture. In time, we can surely expect to see Makers shape our future — one project at a time.

Don’t forget to join the Atmel team in Queens this week for the 5th Annual World Maker Faire. Undoubtedly, this year will be amazing as an expected 750+ Makers and 85,000+ attendees head to the New York Hall of Science to see the latest DIY gizmos and gadgets, as well as AVR Man in the flesh. Once again a Silversmith Sponsor of the event, Atmel will put the spotlight on everything from Arduino to Arduino-related projects. See you soon!

Qtechknow is on a roll with this Robot Obstacle Course

As we’re sure you already know, 13-year-old CEO and whizkid Quin Etnyre has already become quite an accomplished Maker changing the world — one Atmel powered board at a time. During Maker Faire Bay Area 2014, the young Maker hosted the “Qtechknow Olympics” robotic challenge featuring Arduino, XBee and of course, his award-winning FuzzBots. Quin’s latest project, an obstacle course that aspires to educate others around NFC, RFID and Arduino, has since then been published on Instructables.

The obstacle course is a culmination of his original FuzzBot design, a Pololu ZumoBot chassis kit, a SparkFun NFC Shield, XBee Series 1 wireless modules, and some Adafruit NeoPixel sticks and rings. Quin’s build features three parts:

• The Hacked FuzzBot: An adaptation of a fully-autonomous, Arduino Uno (ATmega328) powered “Mini Roomba,” the robot is comprised of an XBee module, NeoPixel stock, and a hacked NFC shield.
• The Controller: Created with an open source Bukobo 3D printer, the enclosure (whose design can be found here) houses an Arduino Uno (ATmega328), another XBee shield, a joystick and a NeoPixel ring, giving it the “full effect” with a flashing LEDs.
• NFC tags: These are affixed throughout the course.

As you’ve seen in the Atmel booth at a number of Maker Faires — Bay Area, Washington, D.C. and soon New York — the impressive project has won a number of Editor’s Choice Awards, not to mention the Maker of Merit Award at the White House Maker Faire.

Quin’s primary goal was to create a fun game that had recorded the number of times a robot drove over a series of NFC tags laid across a flat surface, i.e. a table. Points are shown in the form of blinking lights that illuminate when the device goes over the sensors, keeping track of the score.

As with all DIY projects, there is always some degree of trial-and-error. Quin highlights some of this latest challenges and modifications event-by-event on his page, but says it “works perfect now!” For a step-by-step breakdown on how to create your own robotic obstacle course, you can visit Qtechknow’s official Instructables post here.

A World Maker Faire calls for a world-record breaker. Think you’re up for the challenge? Be sure to swing by our booth and see if you can beat 24 points in 30 seconds.

During a recent interview with Quin, he expressed, “To be a Maker, you have to think outside of the box, and come up with new ideas on your own.” His new robot obstacle course is certainly a testament to that.

Through his latest and greatest innovations, the 13-year-old continues to open up many doors in the Maker community, while meeting a number of influential people — including the likes of Will.i.a.m., Bill Nye the Science Guy and Massimo Banzi.

Don’t forget to join the Atmel team in Queens later this month for the 5th Annual World Maker Faire. Undoubtedly, this year will be amazing as an expected 750+ Makers and 85,000+ attendees head to the New York Hall of Science to see the latest DIY gizmos and gadgets, as well as AVR Man in the flesh. Once again a Silversmith Sponsor of the event, Atmel will put the spotlight on Arduino and Arduino-related projects. See you soon!

Atmel @ Maker Faire Trondheim

It’s official! Trondheim, home of AVR architecture, has officially hopped onboard the Maker Movement train and is going full steam ahead. This year, the region has seen the emergence of Makerspaces, coworking spaces and of course, its first Maker Faire. The inaugural Maker Faire Trondhiem kicked off in the heart of the city on August 29-30th, smack dab in the middle of Trondheim’s town square. Over 70 projects were on display, a majority of which powered by Atmel microcontrollers (MCUs).

From cycles and contraptions to swarming robots and invisible mosquitos, this year’s event had it all. Reporting for MAKE Magazine, Alasdair Allan highlighted some of these Atmel based creations, among a number of others, that generated some buzz from attendees.

Now, here’s a look back at the event in photos.

As one Maker Faire comes to an end, another is set to begin. Don’t forget to join the Atmel team in Queens later this month for the 5th Annual World Maker Faire. Undoubtedly, this year will be amazing as an expected 750+ Makers and 85,000+ attendees head to the New York Hall of Science to see the latest DIY gizmos and gadgets, as well as AVR Man in the flesh. Once again a Silversmith Sponsor of the event, Atmel will put the spotlight on Arduino and Arduino-related projects. See you soon!

This ATmega168 powered vibrating glove teaches fingers to touch-type

David Schneider had a problem; his kids were quick on a keyboard, yet their typing style was hectic and inefficient. To correct this issue, he put together a prototype glove that helps aid the education of proper typing technique.

These DIY haptic gloves were created with inspiration from Thad Starner’s gloves that could teach the wearer how to play Beethoven on a piano. While the task at hand with Schneider’s wearable is less daunting, functionality was still key. The Maker began his project by sewing eight miniature vibration motors into a pair of black cycling gloves.

With four motors installed in each glove, Schneider then wired the device to an Arduino Nano (ATmega168). He programmed the Arduino to activate a given motor for a quarter of a second corresponding to each character sent to the microcontroller’s serial port. “A ‘1’ would vibrate the motor pressing on the left pinkie, a ‘2’ for the left ring finger, a ‘3’ for the left middle finger, and so forth,” the Maker elaborated upon his system.

While the glove now guided correct typing technique, David needed to write an engaging computer program that would ensure his kid’s actually wanted to use his creation. He employed Tkinter to write an interface that would serve just this purpose.

David breaks down the program by explaining, “The program I cobbled together presents the user with a word, chosen at random from a list of the 100 most common English words. It then says the word out loud (in my ever-patient wife’s mellifluous voice) and shows the word spelled out on the screen in blaring 64-point red type, one letter at a time. As it does so, it sends the appropriate character to the Arduino so that the corresponding finger is vibrated.”

“There’s a slider for the user to vary the rate at which the program spews out letters. And the person can see what he or she is typing (again in 64 point), which gives instant feedback. A button allows you to advance to another word. Python and Tkinter made all this easy enough to program with less than 200 lines of code,” Schneider adds.

David reveals that the tool works very well to help teach his children, but will look to install a game of sorts in the future. “I’ve not yet figured out the particulars, but somehow I’ll have to add motivational timers, badges, health points, and bright, flashing ‘game over’ blinkers if I want my 11-year-old to benefit from my high-tech typing tutor.”

Providing an incentive for the children to perfect their technique will certainly prove fruitful in the future!

A DIY navigation device for the visually impaired

With the power of the revolutionary 1Sheeld in hand, Maker Amr Wasfy decided to put this technology to good use by developing a navigation device for the visually impaired.

Integreight’s 1Sheeld – powered by an ATmega162 MCU – is an easily configurable shield for Arduino boards.

As its Kickstarter page noted, the sky really is the limit when it comes to the shield’s possibilities. Wasfy has partnered the 1Sheeld with an Arduino Uno (ATmega328) and a pair of ultrasonic sensors. He mounted the sensors to a belt and then created an enclosure for both the Arduino and the 1Sheeld.

In practice, the two sensors alert the user when the distance in front of them is less than 30 centimeters. When the distance is less than the desired range, the device notifies the user to rotate until the path in front of them is clear for greater than 30 centimeters.

Wasfy used two sensors, which the Maker notes was for better quality and wide range coverage. “There is a function that compares between the two readings of the sensors and takes the decision based on that.”

For a detailed step-by-step breakdown of the Maker’s build, head to his Instructables tutorial here.

Lock down your golf cart with ATtiny85

Some of us are lucky enough to live in communities where a typical commute is conducted within the breezy confines of a golf cart. Though, the security on a typical golf cart isn’t necessarily up to snuff.

A Maker by the name of “ramicaza” just happens to live within one of these communities and has a passion for technology. To enhance the security of his own golf cart, he installed a tinyAVR microcontroller-powered biometric fingerprint sensor that initiates his vehicle’s ignition.

Using an ATtiny85 MCU and a “GT-511C1″ fingerprint sensor from Sparkfun, the Maker created a system that enables a driver to simply scan their finger to start their cart. This simple Atmel-based controller then uses a relay to allow power to flow from the cart’s main battery to the motor. The system initiates when a custom-built switch cover is opened and then immediately displays a red LED light. Once the correct finger is scanned, the LED switches to green and the cart is ready to roll. To power down the cart, one more scan is needed and a relay powers down the vehicle. Cleverly, the circuit is designed so that if the cover is pressed while the power is on, the circuit remains active.

Ramicaza successfully replaced his cart’s ignition with home-brewed device and significantly bolstered the ‘cool factor’ of his four-wheeled ride! If you were planning on replicating this project, the Maker has shared his source code and sketches on GitHub that allows the ATtiny85 to communicate with the fingerprints scanner. “This is a sketch that allows the ATtiny line of microcontrollers to interface with the GT511-C1/3 fingerprint sensor from Sparkfun. The advantage of this sketch is that it requires no libraries and thus works on any board that can be programmed with the Arduino IDE. The sketch initializes the connection with the sensor, turns the sensors in-built LED on and continually attempts to capture finger scans. Once one is successfully captured it analyzes,” ramicaza notes.

Recreating the Halo Warthog with ATtiny85

No, that isn’t Master Chief’s signature ride, that is Maker Nathan Gray’s Halo-inspired paintball buggy — though mounting a paintball gun to a moving vehicle may not be as easy as it seems.

Gray had some simple goals in mind when embarking on this project. the Maker simply wanted an electronically firing, easily accessible, and reliable paintball gun mounted to his buggy.

During the development of his initial prototypes, he discovered that the mounted gun’s vibrations had caused many of the fragile paintballs to break within the device’s hopper (akin to an ammunition clip in a real gun) or the barrel. You can imagine the cleanup that is necessary after a series of paint filled balls burst in a confined space!

Therefore, Gray set out to create a mounted gun that could withstand the vibrations and still be easily accessed and cleaned if need be. To conquer this task, he got his hands on a reliable Tippmann A-5.

He tuned his electronic trigger and an ATtiny85-based PCB to fire once the gun had recocked and reloaded itself. Nathan reveals on his Hackaday post that he “tuned the timing experimentally for the minimum time needed to engage the solenoid.” He further notes it was the minimum time needed for the marker to re-cock after firing.

Gray reveals that with his new reliable system in place, he has never broken a paintball within the unit and he can change out the gun in 30 seconds or less. If you have ever played a game of paintball, you know these are both remarkable feats of engineering!

To read Nathan’s full tutorial and download his schematics, you can head over to his original Hackaday post here.