Indi is a dock that gives your phone a set of arms

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Vibrate mode is so 2014.

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While there may already be countless smartphone docks on the market today, none may be as interactive and innovative as one created by Maker Billy Wood. Recently launched on Kickstarter, Indi features a set of arms that can signal a user of an incoming call.

“[It’s] something more likely to catch your attention while not alerting the whole office to its presence. Aside from this, I see this as potentially useful to hard of hearing smart phone users, or as just a cool thing to have lying around and show off,” Wood explains.

The device consists of two elements: a docking unit equipped with an Atmel based Arduino and a mobile application, which the user will be prompted to download the first time they plug it into the device. Currently in its prototype phase, when the device is plugged into the device and a call comes in, the robotic arms will wave until it is disconnected or the phone is answered. In the settings menu, users will be able to select from a range of different waving animations to use, with the ability to create their own.

Wood sees an array of uses for Indi, ranging for those in quiet offices where vibrate mode won’t suffice, hard of hearing, or who are just looking for a cool robot. Whatever the reason, the Maker hopes to 3D print the project and enhance its customizing capabilities to match with any phone color.

Just think, perhaps version 2.0 could utilize the arms to accentuate arguments during Skype calls. Intrigued? Indi is currently seeking £2,500 on Kickstarter.

Internet of Trees: Making smart birdhouses with Arduino

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If we can have smart homes, why can’t birds? 

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In collaboration with a pair of fellow students, Maker Valentina Chinnici recently devised a project entitled “Internet of Trees” during a recent workshop led by Arduino’s Massimo Banzi in Boisbuchet, France.

The connected birdhouse features a pair of Arduino Yùn (ATmega32U4), an Adafruit NeoPixel strip, a makeshift infrared weight sensor, two nests, and of course, some remote Wi-Fi.

According to Chinnici, the idea was to redesign a traditional object — such as an outdoor wooden birdhouse — and connect it to an indoor nest-shaped lamp. In the event that a bird entered the house, it would communicate to the ATmega32U4 embedded lamp via Wi-Fi. Moments later, the bird’s presence would be denoted by an illuminated light (red, yellow or green) based on its size and weight.

While she had worked with Arduino Uno (ATmega328) and Leonardo (ATmega32u4) boards prior to this project, this was Chinnici’s first time using a Yún, which was a requisite in the “Internet of Trees” course.

In order to build a weight sensor, Chinnici attached an infrared sensor at the base of the birdhouse. Additionally, the Maker constructed a scale of sorts using a second wood base held up by four cork mini bases mounted with springs, which were placed into each of the corners.

“The concept was to create connected devices to bridge nature and humans. The first [few] days were dedicated to the basics of Arduino, and the last days to the development of the connected devices. We came up with the idea of building a birdhouse, so we split into smaller sub-groups and started to work on our projects collaboratively,” Chinnici explained.

Interested in learning more about the “Internet of Trees?” You can access the entire breakdown of the build here. In the meantime, the project is currently a finalist for Postscapes’ #IoT Awards.

gTar uses an iPhone and LEDs to teach you to play the guitar

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This isn’t your traditional axe, but an electric guitar-digital device hybrid that makes sound via MIDI processed through an iPhone.

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Have you always wanted to be a rockstar but lacked the necessary musical talent? After all, learning to play the guitar can be a daunting (and expensive) task. But thanks to our friends at Incident Technologies, there is now an easy-to-use, cost-effective solution: the gTar.

Previously seen on Kickstarter and more recently, inside Eureka Park at CES 2015, gTar is a fully digital guitar that enables anybody of any experience level to play music quickly and easily with the help of LEDs and a docked iPhone. Users simply affix their smartphone to the guitar body, load its accompanying mobile app, and follow an array of interactive LEDs along the multi-touch fretboard — which can play various sounds and triggers via its MIDI compatibility. Not only does the gTar show you what to play, but tracks whether you’re doing it correctly. According to its creators, the learning system will have you rocking out in under 15 minutes.

“We think that everybody should be able to have fun playing music, regardless of how long they’ve been playing or how much time they have to practice. That’s why we built an intuitive feature called SmartPlay, which mutes out incorrect notes as you play and nudges you along as you play through difficult songs,” a company rep explains.

Don’t be mistaken, the device possesses the same aesthetically appealing design of an everyday electric guitar. In fact, gTar is constructed from basswood and maple, giving it the look, feel and durability of a time-tested axe while packed with some additional components like an ATtiny48. It should also be noted that the hardware is open-source, enabling endless possibilities for Makers.

On the software side, the app features three modes: SmartPlay, Free Play and Create. It comes bundled with a library of over 150 preprogrammed songs from third-party sites that allow users to begin shredding right away. SmartPlay mode teaches users specific songs and scales, which are ranked by color in terms of their difficulty level: green for easy, yellow for moderate and red for hard. During the easiest stages, gTar will automatically “fret” for beginners and mute out incorrect notes. Using its ATtiny48 powered LEDs, you can learn some of the biggest hit songs, ranging from The Beatles to David Bowie.

As you make your way through the ranks to FreePlay, users are given free reign over the multi-touch fretboard, where musicians can then choose from a variety of 15+ sound kits, including guitar models, keyboards, synths, and even drums. This mode also provides an expression pad for tweaking four built-in sound effects, like echo or distortion, and a panel that offers full control of the LEDs. Feeling confident? Once ready, through the company’s new Sequence app, you can create beats, melodies, and rhythms without any previous musical skills. Sequence can be used either standalone, or with the gTar fretboard acting as an interactive controller.

If AVR Man can do it, anyone truly can! Interested in learning more? Head on over to gTar’s official page here.

LocoRobo is an IoT bot inspiring the next generation of Makers

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LocoRobo offers a modern, cutting-edge robotics kit and a technology-rigorous learning experience.

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Drexel University professor Pramod Abichandani and a team of three undergraduate students have developed LocoRobo, a low-cost robot capable of being wirelessly programmed with minimal to no effort. Born out of his own frustrations with bots, Abichandani aspires to advance programming and robotics education for everyone — from first-graders to experienced Makers — by combining a world-class programming ecosystem with a high-quality device.

Abichandani hopes that educators and students alike will be able to utilize the ATmega32U4 based LocoRobo to increase awareness and excitement around STEM. While younger Makers can wirelessly control their robot through the companion mobile app, experienced developers can use various programming languages.

“We have developed open-source application programming interface (APIs) in C, Python, Matlab and Node.js which will allow you to dive into programming LocoRobo beyond the apps. Using these languages you will realize a higher level of control of the LocoRobo robot. While working with our APIs, you will be exposed to several robotics exercises and concepts including multi-robot motion planning and multi-sensor fusion.

As seen inside the Atmel CES booth, the little WALL-E-like gadget is equipped with two wheels, sensors for eyes and antennas in the form of ears. Recently launched on Indiegogo, the Arduino-compatible LocoRobo comes in two separate models: the LocoBasiX and the LocoXtreme. While each possess the same custom main board, status LEDs, differential drive, ultrasponic sensors, lithium-ion battery and BLE, the LocoXtreme model boasts a number of additional features such as motor encoders, an on-board accelerometer and a gyroscopic sensor for those seeking some more sophisticated movement.

Abichandani hopes that every school throughout America (and the world) will one day have a solid robotics program. And, LocoRobo may be able to make that dream possible.

The Nerd Watch is powered by an ATtiny85

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This DIY watch displays time in flashing LED binary with the push of a button.

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From the looks of CES 2015, it appears that smartwatches will undoubtedly be a mainstay for the future. While a number of consumers await the Apple Watch to debut in March, Makers have decided to channel their inner DIY spirit and create a wrist-adorned timepiece of their own instead — without having to dig deep into their wallets. In recent months, we’ve seen some rather impressive designs emerge, ranging from the Arduino-compatible Tardis to the steampunk-inspired ChronodeVFD.

Added to that list is now Maker Sam DeRose’s latest binary device, aptly dubbed The Nerd Watch. Initially inspired by his dad’s Maker Faire project, the watch displays the time in hours and minutes by flashing LEDs in sequence to denote two 4-bit binary numbers. The wearable was crafted using an OMC Othermill CNC machine, and is based on a few electronic components — most notably the ATtiny85.

“The [tinyAVR] has a program on it which waits for a button press, and when it senses one it grounds several of its pins so that current can flow from +3-volts through the LEDs, lighting them up. The ATtiny has an internal clock, and so the LEDs are programmed to flash to display the time,” DeRose writes.

Time to create a DIY binary watch of your own? You can find a detailed step-by-step breakdown of the project on its official page here.

MagnID lets you track multiple magnetic tokens

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A novel way to interact with tablets and computers using magnets to be presented at Stanford University. 

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A new magnetic technology will be presented this weekend at Stanford’s annual TEI Conference. Dubbed MagnID, the project is capable of tracking multiple multiple tokens at the same by tricking a tablet’s internal compass sensor.

“Many tablets come with some sort of triaxial magnetic sensor but as [Andrea] and [Ian]’s demo shows, they are only capable of passing along the aggregate vector of all magnetic forces. If one had multiple magnetic objects, the sensor is not able to provide much useful information,” Hackaday notes.

A combination of both software and hardware, the team has devised custom tokens that spin magnets at precise frequencies. This creates complex sinusoidal magnetic fields that can be mathematically isolated with bandpass filters. Meanwhile, the innovative solution can also infer the distance between each token using what they call a “MagnID sensor,” which contains both an [Atmel based] Arduino and magnetometer. Therefore, the presence of multiple tokens can now be tracked simultaneously.

The demo below shows how the new tech can be used in a series of puzzles, sequential games, educational tutorials, doodling and more. While all the details have yet to be revealed, you’ll want to watch the reel below. For those interested, source code and hardware files will be made available on GitHub following the conference.

ATmega2560 powers this interactive robot orchestra

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Artist creates a robotic orchestra that lets you conduct an algorithmic symphony with hand gestures.

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Moscow-based artist Dmitry Morozov — commonly referred to as ::vtol:: — is no stranger to Bits & Pieces. From creating digitized images from air pollution to cyborg-like instruments, prolific Maker has unveiled some slick Arduino-based designs in recent months that combine both modern music, robotic concepts and a contemporary take on creative art. However, none may compare to his latest project: Nayral-Ro.

Nayral-Ro is best described as an orchestra comprised of 12 different robotic manipulators, each of which equipped with a sound-transmitting speaker and placed onto a podium. When combined, the robotic arms form a single multi-channel symphonic sound. In order to interact with the orchestra, ::vtol:: used a Leap Motion controller to guide the robots and sound through simple hands gestures in the air, just as any conductor would lead an actual symphony.

::vtol:: powered the design using an Arduino Mega (ATmega2560), a modified OWI-535, some servo motors and actuators, along with a 12-channel sound system. As for the software, the Maker turned to the Pure Data language and ManosOSC to turn hand gestures of various heights into both audio and visual control.

When approaching the exhibit, a viewer must only wave their hands as if they were a magic wand to trigger the tiny robotic performers. Nayral-Ro features a algorithmic system, in which sound and musical composition are produced in real-time, while the acoustic environment changes simultaneously with the process of creating the musical piece.

“Due to constant displacement speakers in space, changing direction of the sound and the algorithms for generating compositions, the orchestra creates a dynamic soundscape,” Morozov explains.

At the moment, the piece is on display at the Garage Museum of Contemporary Art in Moscow. According to ::vtol::, future iterations are in the works. Perhaps when put into the hands of musicians, this could yield even more symphonic sounds. Intrigued? Learn all about the Maker masterpiece here, or see it in action below.

elfinGarden is like a Tamagotchi for your plants

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Finally, an interactive pot that will take the guesswork out of watering flowers.

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Created by Maker Monica Lau, the elfinGarden is an innovative, entertaining planter that helps users communicate with their plants as if they were raising a pet.

Powered by an Seeeduino v3.0 (ATmega328), the device is packed with touch and moisture sensors, a few strips of LED lights, an 8×8 matrix, and an MP3 player.

elfinGarden provides a natural growing environment right on your desk — whether inside an office or dorm — making it interesting to plant in sedentary living, and of course, easier to care for the plant. Thanks to Lau, you can take the guesswork out of deciphering when a pot needs nutrients. In fact, your plant will now be able to express its feelings, such as a smile for happiness or animated tears when thirsty.

Watch it in action below!

 

Adding some biometric security to Maker projects

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Have you always wanted to include a fingerprint scanner in your Arduino project? Now you can. 

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Patrick Thomas Mitchell recently launched a Kickstarter campaign for a pair of boards looking to enable Makers to add fingerprint scanning to their projects. The first, an Arduino-compatible board, is equipped with a keypad and LCD which allows users to toggle five different I/O lines, control a servo motor and relay, among a number of other things. In addition, the board lets Makers program up to 20 unique fingerprints into EEPROM memory with ease.

“I still have some programming to do on this board, but it will be completed within the next two weeks. This board will allow for users to interface with their own projects within minutes of opening the box! The first revision of the PCB had a small error, which has since been fixed. The hardware for this board is now production ready. I simply need to make some software additions/optimizations, and we’ll be ready to roll!  In the picture below, you will see that I’ve mounted the fingerprint scanner to a generic PCB. You can mount yours to whatever you’d like,” Mitchell writes.

The second of the boards is a dual-fingerprint scanner unit inspired by the Terminator 2 end scene, where a door must be opened by turning two unique keys at the same time. (For those who may recall, this isn’t the Maker’s first movie-inspired project. In fact, Mitchell debuted an Entrapment-esque Arduino laser trip wire.) Abiding by the same principle, this board requires two programmed fingerprints to be entered at the same time. Mitchell notes that five fingerprints can be programmed into each of the two fingerprint scanners. Meanwhile, if two fingers are pressed to each of the scanner units at the same time, and both prints match the saved data, then the on-board relay will turn on — and stay on until the “SEL” button is pressed. At this time, the relay and the fingerprint scanned LEDs will both be turned off.

“You can use the relay to control an electromagnetic solenoid, 120-240VAC devices, connect power to an electromagnetic door lock, etc. Best of all, it is extremely easy to use. The function is extremely simple… and this PCB is ready to go! No problems here.I just need to make some software additions, and add some security.”

Those interested in the project can head on over to Mitchell’s official Kickstarter page, where he is currently seeking $3,000. With several days remaining in his campaign, the Maker has already well exceeded the initial amount and since then has announced a new stretch goal: a port expander DIY kit.

Video: The world’s first interactive album cover lets you spin music

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Novalia worked with DJ Qbert to create the world’s first interactive DJ Decks in an album cover.

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Scratching, sometimes referred to as scrubbing, is a DJ technique used to produce distinctive sounds by moving a vinyl record back-and-forth on a turntable while optionally manipulating the crossfader on a sound mixer. Though scratching is most commonly associated with hip-hop, since the mid-’70s, it has been used in pop, electronic dance and other mainstream music. And while we’ve seen some extremely innovative musical Maker marvels in recent months, ranging from an Arduino turntable to MIDI gloves to conductive ink tunes, the latest collaboration between Novalia and DJ Qbert truly possesses the magic touch.

Previously funded on Kickstarter, Qbert’s recent album features a set of working Bluetooth MIDI decks and controls that connect to iOs and OSx. Touching the paper connects to the Algoriddim DJAY app, enabling the user to scratch, mix and fade any songs they load into the software.
Complete with two decks, a cross fader and an array of SFX buttons beautifully printed onto paper using printed electronics and specially-designed artwork, the decks exhibit the possibilities for interconnectivity between the physical and digital in a way that can enhance user experience.

“We believe the future will look more like the past than the present, where beautiful old school things we love and are nostalgic about will not die as many have said. We hope to breathe life into things like books and album covers, keeping the creativity in physical products alive. We work at the interface of the digital and physical, taking the essence of the digital world and putting that digital DNA into beautiful physical objects which have intuitive touch, connectivity and data beneath the surface and are manufactured by processes such as regular print,” explains Novalia’s Dr. Kate Stone.

Watch it in action below! Meanwhile, you can read more about the printed MIDI deck project here.