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ARM attempts to speed up 'internet of things' adoption with new platform
It's the year 2014, and we've yet to have our flying cars and commuter jet packs. But we do have a glimpse of the future with the advent of the "internet of things." It's essentially the idea of connecting everyday objects -- be it thermostats or kitchen appliances -- to the web, in an effort to make our lives easier. As wonderful as that sounds though, development of new IoT technologies can be slow, due in part to the multiple different protocols in existence today and how tiresome it is to create an ecosystem from scratch. That could soon come to an end, however, thanks to ARM. The chipmaker has just announced a brand new IoT-specific device platform that includes both a free operating system (tailor-made for ARM's Cortex-M processor based devices, of course) plus a server-side software product that ties it all together. Based on the mbed hardware and software ecosystem, the platform basically gives manufacturers the tools and building blocks necessary for IoT devices and services, thus making it that much faster and cheaper for them to bring their ideas to fruition.
DIY hack uses Google Calendar to automate home heating system (video)
Sure, Google Calendar is helpful, but ultimately it's on you to get yourself to that meeting. Wouldn't it be nice if the utility could handle some of the to-do list itself? Hack A Day scoped out an example of it doing just that, after a home owner named Shane posted a video of his DIY system that uses Calendar to control his heater. First, he connected a USB-powered mbed microcontroller with an ARM Cortex M3 processor to the internet via an Ethernet cable. As it happens, the mbed also has a temperature controller and solid state relay for turning the heater on and off. On the software side, he took advantage of a feature in the Google API that let him sync the mbed's network time, with the mbed able to "see" in advance what temp changes are scheduled on the calendar. In other words, if turning on the heater is on the schedule, the mbed system knows it and makes it happen. In a brilliant act of disaster prevention, Shane also tweaked the on-board temperature controller to not go above a certain number of degrees. For more technical details, check out the video below and the photos at the source link.
Make Angry Birds awesome again with DIY slingshot controller
Look, we're as tired of Angry Birds as you are -- the phenomena has certainly run its course. But, if we had Simon Ford's home-made slingshot controller, we might still be addicted to hurling the pissed-off poultry through the air. The DIY peripheral is built around an mbed microcontroller, three-axis accelerometer and a stretch sensor. Pinching and pulling the band initiates a click and drag, while the position of the slingshot itself determines the angle of launch. It's not the easiest gaming controller hack we've ever seen but, if you can follow directions, you could build your own courtesy of the instructions at the source link. If you're a little too intimidated to try it yourself, check out the video after the break to see it in action.
