With TAPP, you no longer have to worry about lost keys or forgotten combination codes.
Padlocks are great for securing your belongings, but they’re a hassle to deal with if you lose the keys or forget the combination code. And with a quick search online, anyone can learn how to pick a lock. Not very useful anymore, is it? Well, the team at Pishon Labs has a 21st century solution to this problem.
MeetTAPP, the smart access padlock that opens with your unique fingerprint, no key or combination code needed. The Toronto-based team came up with TAPP because they feel that traditional units are inconvenient and outdated.
TAPP uses a cutting edge encrypted fingerprint sensor, and grants access with just a tap in 0.8 seconds. Have you accessed a lock any faster? Unlike other padlocks, TAPP has a built-in alarm that will activate if the lock is cut or if anyone without authorization tries to open it. Or if you want to grant access to certain people, the accompanying app will let you authorize up to 200 fingerprints. You can even customize the time, location and duration of access. TAPP can be used for multiple purposes because it’s water resistant and can withstand rain and snow.
There are two versions of TAPP available. TappLock has a lithium-ion battery, which can last up to three years on one charge, while TappLock Lite is equipped with a replaceable battery that can last up to six months. Both have Bluetooth 4.1. integration, allowing you to use your phone as the key to your lock and to receive real-time updates on its remaining battery life.
Interested? Head over to TAPP’s Indiegogo page, where the Pishon Lab team has already doubled their goal of $40,000. Delivery is expected for Nov. 2016.
This open source, Arduino-compatible GSM/GPRS and GPS/GLONASS device provides real-time data anywhere, about anything.
The MobileNode is an open source IoT board, which was named a semi-finalist in last year’s Hackaday Prize and is now live on Indiegogo. Measuring just seven centimeters in diameter, the circular device is equipped with an ATmega32U4 MCU at its core, a GPS/GLONASS module for tracking and a GSM/GPRS chip for data transmission.
Makers can easily attach a variety of sensors to the MobileNode, including air quality (CO, CO2, O2, etc.), temperature, humidity, fire and motion, as well as add lights, servo motors and other electronic circuits. This enables the Arduino-compatible board to monitor air pollution, reduce energy consumption, collect real-time data, and even control food production machinery. What’s more, there are four holes for M1.2 or M1.4 screws, making it possible to house the MobileNode inside a box or case.
Every MobileNode comes with an attached tag, which contains both a public and private key. As its creators Oscar Rojas and Camilo Rojas reveal, you can push data to the cloud with the private key, while accessing such information via the public key. Meanwhile, GPS coordinates are shown in a Google Map along with the board’s orientation data given by its e-compass.
Aside from all that, MobileNode features an electret microphone that lets users hear what is happening nearby, a Nano SIM card socket, TVS diodes and Bluetooth. It is also possible to connect an external antenna to the GPS module, since some applications call for the MobileNode to be used indoors.
Every Friday, we take a look at some of the smartest, most innovative projects that caught our attention on Kickstarter and Indiegogo over the last seven days.
Every Friday, we take a look at some of the smartest, most innovative projects that caught our attention on Kickstarter and Indiegogo over the last seven days.
This connected stroller offers more than 10 safety, security, comfort and convenience-enhancing functions, all managed by your smartphone or smartwatch. Smartbe is currently seeking $80,000 on Indiegogo.
This ultimate keychain gadget combines all the essentials you could possibly need for your smartphone — charger, battery, remote, storage and much more. Team Evolu2ion is currently $44,761 on Kickstarter.
This simple yet practical device for ski mountaineers measures data that matters, providing real-time feedback during ascent and analytics back at home. Pomocup is currently seeking $49,905 on Kickstarter.
This smart spray paint device helps you create wall art — no art skills required.
Have you ever walked past a cool mural or graffiti, and wished you could create large scale artwork in your own home or office? You can now with SprayPrinter, a spray paint device that reproduces images from your smartphone to any wall.
The Estonia-based team behind the gadget boasts SprayPrinter as the 21st century way of designing walls. The SprayPrinter works similar to a dot matrix printer, except it is made up of two key components: a clip-on unit that controls the spray paint nozzle and the accompanying smartphone app that converts and sends images to the SprayPrinter. Together, the app maps the image to the wall, and the smartphone camera tracks the position of the spray paint can so it knows exactly when to tell it to release the dots of paint.
You can be making art like Banksy in three easy steps. First, you choose from the app what design you want printed on the wall. Then, you activate the SprayPrinter attachment and simply move the can along the wall. The app breaks down the chosen image into pixels, and communicates with the spray paint can on releasing paint at the precise location. The app will also host artwork by artists, designers and photographers.
Intrigued? Head over to the project’s Indiegogo page, where its team is currently seeking $20,000. You can start designing any wall with SprayPrinter for the price of $149. The first batches of units are set for delivery by December 2016.
Every Friday, we take a look at some of the smartest, most innovative projects that caught our attention on Kickstarter and Indiegogo over the last seven days.
This set of alphabet blocks combines the charm of yesterday’s learning toys with the powers of modern-day technology to teach preschoolers letters in both English and Spanish. AlphaTechBlocks is currently seeking $90,000 on Kickstarter.
Tinylab provides Makers with a fully-integrated environment for the same price as an Arduino shield.
Safe to say, there’s no shortage when it comes to open source prototyping boards like Arduino. In fact, recent studies suggest that the number of installed hardware dev kits will nearly double from 11 million units in 2014 to 21 million in 2020. But shouldn’t there be a more effective way to bring an idea to life? Between the breadboard, wires, cables and soldering, traditional processes can take a bit longer and become more complicated than desired for Makers. Not to mention, when employing Arduino shields, you generally can’t stack more than a few due to pin overlaps. This was something that Bosphorus Mechatronics looked to solve.
And so the Istanbul-based startup launched Tinylab — a tablet-sized, open source platform that contains everything you’d possibly need when developing a project. There’s an Arduino at the heart, along with over 20 I/O and all the necessary modules, circuits and components to streamline the prototyping phase.
To get started, simply open up its cap, plug in a USB cable and upload your Arduino sketch. Tinylab is built around the mighty ATmega32U4 — the same MCU found at core of the Arduino Leonardo — and features sockets for XBee, Bluetooth, ESP8266 and nRF24xx modules, in addition to an LCD screen, a microSD reader, a seven-segment display, a real-time clock, a relay, a potentiometer, external EEPROM, a piezo buzzer, a rotary encoder, a DC motor driver, a temperature sensor, a photoresistor, a few buttons, and LEDs.
“Combine all these things and make your own recipe easily. All of the things are onboard excluding wireless features. There are attachable modules. There are sockets for them on board. If there’s a need to communicate something, just attach and code it,” the team explains. “For all the other things that the board doesn’t include, there is a tiny breadboard”
As if that wasn’t enough, Tinylab is platform agnostic and can be programed in Windows, Linux and Mac OS. It’s also compatible with today’s most popular environments, including Arduino IDE, Atmel Studio 7, Visual Studio, Scratch, Codebender and Eclipse. Designed with portability in mind, Tinylab can be thrown in your bag, taken wherever you need to go and is ready for use right out of the box.
“Arduino is our hero, we mostly design around it and we realized that we use some common components with it generally. Every time, we need to make same circuits to display, send or sense something,” founder Ahmet Sait Borlak tells TechCrunch. “Using a breadboard turns a torture and using stackable shields doesn’t serve the purpose generally. So we think the Tinylab can be the painkiller. So we designed it, used it and love it… Also, it’s perfect for education. Because it’s compatible with MIT’s Scratch we think it can take place in school laboratories.”
Intrigued? Tinylab is entirely open source, and its schematics and layouts can be found on GitHub. Bosphorus Mechatronics has launched the kit on Indiegogo, where the crew is currently seeking $25,000. The first batch of units is expected to ship early this summer.
2015 was quite the year. Here are just some of the awesome devices with mainstream appeal that caught our eye over the last 12 months.
Buddy
The first social robot that connects, protects and interacts with each member of your family.
Bistrobot
If you give this automated machine $2, it will craft a peanut butter sandwich on white bread with your choice of honey, blackberry jam, sweet chili or chocolate sauce.
Keyboardio
Finally, there’s an open source ergonomic keyboard that gives your overworked pinkies a break and puts your thumbs to work.
Voltera V-One
Tired of delays and unnecessary expenses? Then you’ll love this laptop-sized printer that can turn design files into prototype circuit boards in minutes.
PancakeBot
Design, print and eat your own pancakes.
PicoBrew Pico
Why head out to the package store when you can brew your own fresh, personalized craft beer right at home?
Forever 21 Thread Screen
The team of BREAKFAST and Forever 21 developed a massive, one-ton machine that turns your Instagram photos into thread artwork.
DrumPants
From hip-hop to dubstep, this wearable kit lets you play music right from your body using 100+ sounds and 300+ music applications.
Prometheus
While it may look like a 3D printer, this PCB milling machine enables you to prototype circuit boards right from your desk.
Tech Tats
Chaotic Moon Studios have devised a cutting-edge tattoo kit, which allows for the monitoring of your own body activity.
Layered Fabric 3D Printer
Who needs a toy store when you can 3D print your own soft and deformable stuffed animals from layers of off-the-shelf fabric?
BeachBot
Sand castles are so 2014. This turtlish autonomous robot can create large scale art on the beach.
OpenROV Trident
Whereas most drones are made for the sky, this remote-controlled, camera-equipped ROV is meant for underwater exploration.
Reality Editor
What if reprogramming your devices was as simple as drawing lines between them? Thanks to MIT’s Fluid Interfaces Group, it may soon be.
ONAGOfly
Sorry selfie sticks, your days are numbered. This palm-sized drone features GPS auto-following and a high-res camera.
BeON Home
There are smart lights, then there are out-smart lights. This system will make having a safer, smarter home as simple as screwing in a bulb.
PowerUp FPV
Your old-school paper airplane just got a whole heck of a lot cooler with a live-streaming camera.
Phree
A revolutionary pen that turns the world around you into a notepad.
The Things Network
Make your city smart with this global, crowdsourced and decentralized IoT network.
Ripple Maker
A 3D printing-inspired device that can etch art on the foam of your coffee.
FarmBot
Grow my gosh! This 2015 Hackaday Prize entry is the world’s first open source CNC farming machine.
Alpha 2
Could this humanoid robot become the newest addition to your family?
LifeQ
By tapping into the human sensor, this intelligent technology can significantly improve decision-making for anyone’s health and well-being.
Sesame
Replace your keys with your smartphone in just seconds.
UnaliWear
Like OnStar for seniors, this all-in-one, voice-controlled wearable will help keep the elderly independent, active and safe.
ShiftWear
The most adaptable shoes you’ll ever own, customized straight from your smartphone.
Flic
A wireless button that can control your favorite smart functions.
C.H.I.P.
A $9 computer. ‘nuff said.
DrinkMate Mini
Have you had a couple of drinks? Don’t worry, this tiny iPhone breathalyzer has got your BAC!
Opal
Love nugget ice? Hate buying bags? This affordable gadget is for you.
Dobot
This high-precision, Arduino-based desktop robotic arm can do pretty much anything.
RePhone
BYOD: Build your own device! Piece together your own phone and give inanimate objects the power of cellular communication.
Mycroft
Based on the Arduino and Raspberry Pi, this open source A.I. system plays media, controls lights and more.
Spinn Coffee
This appliance can whip up anything from drip coffee to espresso, depending on how fast the brewer spins.
Tempescope
Who needs weather apps when you can recreate the forecast from right inside your living room?
Makerarm
A complete personal fabrication system crammed into a single, sleek robotic arm for your desk.
Fibonacci Clock
Think reading an analog clock is tough? Tell time using glowing lights and the Fibonacci sequence.
Electroloom
Design and create seamless, ready-to-wear garments based on custom 3D geometries.
Fleye
Could this soccer ball-shaped drone be the safest flying bot to date?
Naviator
A drone that can fly and swim.
RoboHon
Sharp unveiled a new smartphone in the form of an adorable robot.
Dancing Paper
Bet you’ve never seen a bunch of origami bust a move.
jamStik+
A portable guitar that teaches you to play and lets you jam on the go.
Nexpaq
This modular case for your smartphone gives you the ability to add and remove physical modules whenever necessary.
OWOW
A new breed of instruments that can drop the beat at home, in the studio or live on stage.
Oval
What if you could play a handpan like an electronic musical instrument?
SensorWake
The world’s first olfactory alarm clock wakes you up with your favorite scents instead of sound.
Ario
This smart lamp learns your habits, syncs to your body clock and keeps you healthy through natural lighting patterns.
CMYK 4.0
If you’re looking to make your commute from home to the office a bit more efficient, then this foldable electric bike may be for you.
Musio
The world’s first artificially intelligent companion bot, designed to engage and grow with you.
LineFORM
This shape-changing soft robot can be a phone, a wristwatch, a keyboard, a lamp and more.
Cord UIs
Imagine if you could control your gadgetry using cords and cables.
Bruno
There’s finally an automated smart trashcan that not only opens with a wave of a hand but vacuums up dust and restocks itself.
Netflix
These smart socks will pause your binge-watching session when you fall asleep.
Pixelio
Goodbye, shaky hands! Transform your smartphone into a 3D scanner.
This drone proves big things can come in small packages.
In today’s market, consumers have pretty much two choices: cheaper nano drones or larger, pricier quadcopters.ONAGOfly wants to be the best of both worlds. Not only does it let users capture high-res selfies and live-stream footage to their mobile devices, the palm-sized unit only costs $200.
This consumer-friendly drone boasts a safe design, suitable for both indoor and outdoor use, and can be piloted right out of the box. It can be set to automatically follow you, or you can use its accompanying app to control the drone via Wi-Fi (up to a distance of 66 feet).
With its video game-inspired tilt control mode, ONAGOfly can be steered simply by turning its paired smartphone left and right, or up and down to fly higher and lower. Meanwhile, photos and videos can seamlessly sync to a user’s handheld gadget for instant sharing.
ONAGOfly can take off and land right from your hand, and be launched with the press of a button. The tiny UAV features built-in infrared sensors on all four sides, allowing it to avoid any potential collisions with obstacles in its way. Additionally, ONAGOfly’s GPS module enables it to automatically follow someone using the location of its connected smartphone as they run, snowboard, cycle, surf or whatever else.
According to company founder Sam Tsu, the mini ‘copter can be used by everyone of all ages and experience levels. This includes athletes, travelers, wedding planners and other drone enthusiasts.
In terms of its camera, ONAGOfly’s images and videos are being touted as comparable to that of an iPhone 6 (15MP photo and 1080P HD at 30fps video). With P2P streaming, users can watch footage in real-time from a remote device without delay. To maximize group photos, the drone can even recognize faces and detect smiles once all subjects are in the frame, and then snap the picture.
Thanks to a 1000mAh LiPo battery, users can expect around 12-15 minutes of flight time. The ONAGOfly weighs only 140 grams (0.3 pounds), and can reportedly maintain its position in wind speeds of up to 10.8 feet per second.
Interested? Head on over to ONAGOfly’s Indiegogo campaign, where the nano drone’s creators have already flown right by their goal of $150,000. Delivery is slated for February 2016.
Every Friday, we take a look at some of the smartest, most innovative projects that caught our attention on Kickstarter and Indiegogo over the last seven days.
This collection of building blocks adds a layer of technology to make the old-school way of learning much cooler, and smarter. DXTR Labs is currently seeking $50,000 on Kickstarter.
This unit simply sticks to your keys, wallet, glasses, luggage, headphones or whatever else you don’t want to lose, and takes care of the rest for you. Wuvo is currently seeking $15,000 on Indiegogo.
This entirely programmable toy adds motion-activated sound effects to your LEGO and Mega Bloks projects. Eight-year-old Chase and his father Chuck Freedman are currently seeking $18,000 on Kickstarter.
This complete IoT kit includes all the hardware, software and cloud infrastructure necessary to quickly build a wireless system. Imagination Technologies just hit its $30,000 Kickstarter goal.
QTemp
This battery-free wearable weather station measures UV and temperature while displaying the safe sun time on your mobile device. Comfable Inc. is currently seeking $26,184 on Kickstarter.
This open source, 3D-printed, modular robotics platform is ideal for Makers looking to explore their imagination. Rocketship Systems is currently seeking $15,000 on Kickstarter.
DuoTrac
This portable, motion-tracking, sensor-laden device can analyze and help improve swing performance and footwork with its accompanying app. Coach Labs Inc. is currently seeking $25,000 on Kickstarter.
This beautifully-engineered, lightweight accessory allows your drone to automatically grab and lift small objects. Ben Kardoosh is currently seeking $7,514 on Kickstarter.
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