Say what you will about Tron Legacy, but the movie did boast some pretty slick special effects along with Daft Punk’s rather memorable soundtrack.
So yes, I think we all can agree that the Grid is a pretty chill place, at least as far as virtual reality goes. Of course I’m not sure I’d want to live there like Kevin Flynn, but I’d certainly like to check out the local vibe along with some bars and clubs.
Unfortunately, the Grid, much like Neal Stephenson’s stellar vision of the Metaverse in Snow Crash is probably light years away. But that didn’t stop Alexander Givens and his friend from designing a Tron-style bar that wouldn’t be out of place at the End of Line Club manned by Shaddix the bartender.
According to the folks at Hack A Day, the rather impressive looking bar – which is powered by an Arduino Mega (ATmega1280) and EL shield – began its life as a half bookcase mounted on the wall.
“Givens and his roommate decided to augment its usefulness as a liquor cabinet by building a bar around it. But why stop there? LED Strips and 120 feet of electroluminescent wire give the bar its inner glow,” writes Mike Szczys of Hack A Day.
“The video showing off its synchronization with the music brings it to the next level. The flashing lights and EL wire put on a quite a show that may make the bartenders feel like they’ve already had a few too many.”
The Tron-style bar is controlled by a rudimentary interface located just under the inside lip of the bar. Pretty impressive, eh? Oh, and yes, more pictures are available here.
Atmel | Bits & Pieces 