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Spark Core board adds WiFi to almost everything, takes input from anywhere (video)
Spark Devices wants the inclusion of WiFi in devices to be a matter of when, not if -- and if its new Spark Core gets to market as planned, tinkerers might never have a moment of doubt. The tiny board combines an Arduino-compatible ARM Cortex-M3 platform with a TI CC3000 WiFi chip that not only simplifies getting online, but could save the DIY crowd from having to touch projects afterward. Owners can flash the firmware with new code over WiFi, for a start. A free Spark Cloud service also allows for custom apps that interface with the Core through seemingly anything with an internet connection: if you want to reconfigure a homebrew security camera from your phone, you can. While Spark Devices is relying on crowdfunding to fuel its connected strategy, the company is comfortably past its $10,000 goal and should deliver both the Spark Core ($39) and optional shields to new contributors around September. [Thanks, Greg]
Eyes-on with Ninja Blocks 'home automation for hackers' (video)
Yet another Kickstarter success story is here on the Hardware Alley Floor at TechCrunch Disrupt. Ninja Blocks look a fair bit different than they used to, however -- the 3D-printed case has been traded up for something that looks a lot more like a final, saleable product. In fact, it looks a little like a router or an external hard drive, albeit one with color-changing ninja eyes. The company was also talking up the home automation possibilities of its platform a bit more than the straightforward sensor pitch. In a buzz phrase, the company is calling this "home automation for hackers." Using the Ninja Rules app, you can turn lights and appliances on and off, get alerts for things like your wash and monitor your home, without writing code -- of course, knowing how helps. The whole platform is extremely open to users, and inside the case, you'll find a Beagle Bone and Arduino board, both accessible by pulling at the handy "Hack Me" tag that hangs on its side. The base system will run you $199. More information can be found in a video after the break.%Gallery-187329%
Adafruit explains how to build your very own HAL 9000 for less than $100
It may be 2013, but 2001 will forever hold a special place in our hearts, in no small part due to the that lovable, red-eyed supercomputer known as HAL 9000. ThinkGeek has given us a couple ways to purchase HAL for our homes, but for folks who'd rather build their own, Adafruit's got you covered. User Phillip Burgess has posted the full instructions on how to craft one, provided you've got access to a laser cutter and the requisite soldering, spray painting and sanding chops to complete the task. Adafruit's version will have you making HAL out of an oversized arcade button and a sheet of acrylic -- and if you want your HAL to talk (and really, why wouldn't you), you'll need to build a voice box from an Arduino Uno board and an Adafruit Wave Shield. Total cost: just shy of $100. Check out the video of it in action after the break, and head on down to the source link for the full how-to. Oh, and feel free to whistle Sprach Zarathustra while you work.
Olympia Circuits' Arno Shield lets Arduino newcomers bring their own board
While there have certainly been attempts at easing the Arduino learning curve, many of these still demand a new board or simplify just one aspect of a much larger universe. Olympia Circuits' new Arno Shield could help strike a better balance between starting fresh and diving into the deep end. It includes all the buttons, lights and sensors needed for 40-plus educational projects, but grafts on to existing boards such as the company's LeOlympia or an Arduino Uno. Owners don't have to add parts or wires; they just remove the shield once they've learned enough to create their own masterworks. The shield kit won't be cheap when it arrives on May 2nd for $60, but it may prove the real bargain for tinkerers who want a full-fledged Arduino board as soon as the training wheels come off.
Arduino-enhanced guitar promises less typing, more shredding
It's far from the first Arduino-based mod we've seen for a guitar, but this one from David Neevel of the Wieden + Kennedy ad agency may well be the most unique. Apparently tired of having to drop his guitar and pick up a keyboard every time he wanted to send an email, he decided to make the guitar the keyboard, and replace the dull drone of keystrokes with an extended solo. As you might expect, the project comes with a fairly high degree of difficulty, but those interested in trying their hand can find the basics to get started at the source link below, and get a look at what's possible in the video after the break. You're on your own with the moustache.
XYZbot's Fritz offers a cheaper robot head, free trips to the uncanny valley (video)
It's been relatively easy to get your hands on an expressive robot face... if you're rich or a scientist, that is. XYZbot would like to give the rest of us a shot by crowdfunding Fritz, an Arduino-powered robot head. The build-it-yourself (and eerily human-proportioned) construction can react to pre-programmed actions, text-to-speech conversion or live control, ranging from basics like the eyes and jaw to the eyelids, eyebrows, lips and neck of an Advanced Fritz. Windows users should have relatively simple control through an app if they just want to play, but where Fritz may shine is its open source nature: the code and hardware schematics will be available for extending support, changing the look or building a larger robot where Fritz is just one part. The $125 minimum pledge required to set aside a Fritz ($199 for an Advanced Fritz) isn't trivial, but it could be a relative bargain if XYZbot makes its $25,000 goal -- and one of the quickest routes to not-quite-lifelike robotics outside of a research grant.
RISE:2013 highlights: Kinect rehab, Lego lobsters, 3D printed tech and more
We were excited and honored when the administration at Northeastern University asked us to help judge its RISE:2013 Research, Innovation and Scholarship Expo. The event, held at the physical education center on the school's Boston campus, brings together an incredibly diverse array of research projects covering a impressive number of fields, including physical and life sciences, engineering, humanities, arts & design, computer and information sciences, health sciences, law, business and social sciences. As you might imagine, scoring works across such a diverse array of concentrations is no easy task. We did, however, manage to pull out a handful of projects that will no doubt be of particular interest to our own readership. The list includes the use of a Kinect camera and PC for physical rehabilitation, the 3D printing of embedded electrical technologies, a Lego set that helps bridge the gap between crustacean and robot and a device that employs an Arduino board and video games to help stroke victims recover motor skills. Check out a video of all of the above just after the break.
Insert Coin finalist: Make a Play Arduino-powered puppet show hands-on (video)
Puppet shows and tech rarely ever mix so succinctly: Insert Coin finalist Gal Sasson has taken the ages-old art form and put it on a motorized stage powered by Arduino, making it more entertaining and interactive in the process. The product, dubbed Make a Play, consists of a stage and control board (complete with buttons, knobs and joysticks) all hooked into a nearby computer, and we had the chance to play around with it at Engadget Expand. After decorating the background and adding puppets and toys onto the stage, kids can control the lighting, move two motorized carts to change the position of each puppet and they can even turn on tiny LED lights attached to the toys. But it goes one step further: you can record all of the puppets' movements and audio associated with your play, which means that your creations can be played back and reproduced on the stage whenever you want. Gal is still working on his launch strategy, so pricing and availability have not been officially announced. We take the stage for a spin in the video and image gallery below, so take a closer look. %Gallery-183004%
Lego Bionicles drafted into Arduino-driven band with synthesizers and more (video)
Italian sound designer and producer Guiseppe Acito wanted to kick off his newly established blog with some fanfare. Naturally, that meant constructing a band from Lego Bionicle toys driven by an Arduino Uno and controlled by an iPad MIDI sequencer app called Nord Beat. Dubbed the Toa Mata Band, the musical group makes its tunes by beating on assorted drum pads, percussion instruments, synthesizers and even a Nintendo DS. Acito has published the ensemble's very first music video, and it seems like there are more to come as it carries an "episode one" label. Hit the jump for the footage -- which really starts cookin' around the 1:15 mark -- or hit the third source link for glamour shots of Toa Mata members and the whole setup.
Twine Cloud Shield puts Arduino gadgets online in seconds (video)
If you're hip-deep in Arduino projects, you're likely aware of shields: graft-on boards that add functionality, most often getting the Arduino in touch with the rest of the world. Many of these require more than a little coding skill to get the ball rolling, even in light of the Netduino, which has led Supermechanical to unveil its new Twine Cloud Shield. The board links the Arduino to a Twine WiFi sensor and gives the Arduino every internet feature the Twine can offer through just three lines of code. There's even a pair of touchpads on the shield to trigger actions through capacitive touch. Do be prepared to pony up for that ease of use when it costs $35 for the Cloud Shield alone, and $150 to bundle one with the Twine. Still, the outlay may be justified if you're more interested in quickly finishing a fun experiment than frittering your time away on the basics.
Insert Coin semifinalist: Observos serves up the internet of places
Internet of things? That's so 2012. 2013? Well maybe, just maybe, it'll be all about the internet of places. Hexagonal Research founders Loren Lang and Ronald Bynoe are betting that the next big thing will be environmentally aware computers. The pair have created Observos which combines an ATMEL microcontroller (with integrated wireless) with a host of on-board sensors. What began as a prototype built around a tower of Arduino shields is now a small first-run integrated board with spots for connecting XBee radio cards and a small LCD display. Right now the focus is on humidity, temperature and barometric pressure, though other environmental variables would be relatively trivial to tack on. While the Observos board is isn't quite ready for prime time, its already getting some serious field testing in a plant nursery, restaurant and other diverse locales. In addition to the small display, the board can be programmed to send text message or email alerts, and in the future could tie into venting or heating systems for completely automated control. There's even a rudimentary web interface for monitoring the various data coming in from the sensors. Check out the full list of Insert Coin: New Challengers semifinalists here -- and don't forget to pick a winner!
Insert Coin semifinalist: Make a Play is a high-tech puppet stage
The students at ITP are constantly churning out creative projects that are unafraid to walk the fine line between art and tech. So its no wonder that Gal Sasson's Make a Play wound up as one of the semi-finalists in our Insert Coin: New Challengers competition. It doesn't hurt that the concept also combines two of our greatest loves here at Engadget: toys and Arduino. The name, it turns out, is actually quite descriptive. The microcontroller-driven stage allows anyone to quickly create a piece of miniature theater using handcrafted puppets and an impressive selection of buttons, knobs and switches -- all lovingly handcrafted out of wood on this prototype. The control panel can move the actors using two motorized carts, cue lighting, playback voice recordings and even activate special electronics embedded in the puppets, such as LED eyes in the demo video after the break. Any action can be recorded and fed to a companion computer program, where tweaks can can be made to the automation. Honestly, sounds like the sort of thing we wish we had a as kids. Check out the full list of Insert Coin: New Challengers semifinalists here -- and don't forget to pick a winner!
Visualized: Arduino Uno shows up in NASA's Swamp Works facility
There are certain things you'd expect to encounter on a visit to NASA's Swamp Works research facility. Walking into the former Apollo testing facility, you'll almost certainly catch glimpses of martian rovers, soil samples and an assortment of scientific testing devices. But in spite of Arduino's near ubiquity these days, we'll admit that we were a bit taken aback when the familiar blue microcontroller made an appearance on a lab desk during our conversation with NASA "lighting guy," Dr. Eirik Holbert. It seems that NASA, like pretty much everyone else, is experimenting with the hacker-friendly component. The board was hooked up to a lighting fixture Holbert is working on as part of NASA's upcoming deep space habitat concept generator. It's an attempt to bring some sunlit consistency to space exploration, simulating Earth-like lighting patterns to help keep the crew alert and get them ready for sleep in the evenings. So, where does NASA turn when it's looking to conserve weight and save some taxpayer money in the process? Toward the Arduino Uno, naturally. Holbert assembled a number of off-the-shelf products, including the aforementioned microcontroller and shields from Sparkfun to make a fixture for under $500. Asked whether we might be seeing an Arduino setup like this on an upcoming mission, Dr. Holbert told us, "I'm all about interchangeability. If they can make something space compatible, I'd be all for it."
Adafruit Gemma stuffs a wearable Arduino platform into a one-inch disc
Adafruit's Flora wearable platform is barely a year old, yet it already has a little sibling on the way -- and we do mean little. The newer Gemma is Arduino-programmable over USB like its relative, but measures just over half the size of the Flora at an inch in diameter. It's even bordering on cute, as far as circuit boards go. Before developing any grand visions of wearable computers, though, be aware that Gemma's features scale down with its size: there's only three input/output pins, and a limited amount of memory won't let it handle more than about a dozen of Adafruit's NeoPixel lights. All the same, any aspiring tailor willing to trade flexibility for subtlety in a costume will likely want to sign up for notification of the Gemma's in-stock date at the source link.
Insert Coin: Arduino-compatible Pinoccio microcontroller sports battery, WiFi
In Insert Coin, we look at an exciting new tech project that requires funding before it can hit production. If you'd like to pitch a project, please send us a tip with "Insert Coin" as the subject line. It's been said that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. Improving on a good idea, however, is truly the ultimate homage, according to the makers of the new Pinoccio microcontroller. Inspired by the Arduino, the brain trust behind the Pinoccio decided to take the stuff they liked about the popular platform -- ease of programming and low cost -- and add some features to make it even better. These include a rechargeable battery, a temperature sensor and a built-in radio that allows one Pinoccio with a WiFi shield to communicate wirelessly with other Pinoccios. The microcontroller also delivers performance that stacks up well with an Arduino Mega but at a smaller size -- the Pinoccio only measures a couple of inches long and an inch wide. The project is currently trying to raise $60,000 at Indiegogo, with supporters netting the standard Pinoccio by pledging $49 and a microcontroller with a WiFi shield for $99. For more details, feel free to check out the video after the break or peruse the project's Indiegogo page by clicking at the source link.
Permaduino makes your Arduino projects permanent (video)
Arduinos are fun to tinker with, but there's one problem. Once you've built something cool, you pretty much have to tear it down to use your board for another project. Sure, you can always buy multiple Arduino boards or proto shields, but what if you want to turn your creation into something a bit more permanent and a lot more compact? Say hello to Permaduino, a small battery-powered Arduino prototype board that just launched on Indiegogo. It features an Atmega328P (natch), two AAA battery holders with a 3 to 5V DC-DC converter (up to 180mA), a 25-column breadboard with VCC and ground, plus FTDI, AVR-ISP and USB interfaces. Best of all, Permanuino conveniently fits inside a standard 8mm videotape case (as long as you don't mount large components on that breadboard). Interested? Hit the break for the Indiegogo link and campaign video.
Twitter Roach takes guidance from tweets, ushers in a terrifying 2013 (video)
We've already seen cockroaches turned into unwitting puppets for human overlords, but never have we seen dominance quite so casual as with Brittany Ransom's recent Twitter Roach art project. While part of the exhibition, one of the insects wore a modified RoboRoach backpack with an Arduino add-on that took commands from Twitter: mentions including specific hashtags steered the roach left or right by stimulating its nerves. Yes, that meant the poor roach rarely had the dignity of seeing its master face to face, although there's some consolation in knowing that it wore the backpack for limited periods and had a required 30-second pause between instructions. As to why Twitter Roach came to be? Ransom tells CNET she imagined the currently dormant project as a reflection of the "overstimulation" us humans encounter in a digital world. We can certainly sympathize given our livelihoods, although its existence makes us nervous about 2013. If we're fighting off remote-controlled insect armies a year from now, we'll have to admit we had fair warning.
Ben Heck's Naughty or Nice Meter knows if you've been bad or good
Sometimes even Santa Claus needs help. Thankfully, the jolly fat guy's got one of our favorite modders on his side. We visited Ben Heck's Madison, Wisconsin workshop a few weeks ago for an Engadget Show segment and got to watch as the master put together a special holiday-themed project, the Naughty or Nice Meter, a big candy cane-accented box that'll help tired parents "keep the kids in line" this holiday season. The box itself is actually a mostly hollow shell, with an Arduino, TI LaunchPad and a few other select components in the rear that communicate with a specialized app, letting the parent in question adjust the needle based on their kids' behavior. Nothing like a little manipulative fun in the spirit of the holidays! Check out our segment on Mr. Heckendorn just after the jump and click on through the source link to find out how to make a Naughty or Nice meter or your very own.%Gallery-173971%
BeetBox drops a beat with a side of Raspberry Pi, and other plant puns (video)
Sometimes the plays on words are unavoidable -- in fact, they form the very heart of Scott Garner's recent musical creation. His BeetBox turns six of its namesake root vegetables into drum pads through SparkFun capacitive touch sensors, all of which are controlled by (what else?) a Raspberry Pi. Cleverness goes beyond the core technology and food jokes, as well. All of the circuitry and audio equipment is hidden within the wood box, making it look more like a horticultural project than machinery. We don't mind the lack of production plans when there's source code available; we're mostly curious as to what in our garden would make for a good rhythm section. [Image credit: Scott Garner, Flickr]
Cat Car turns your feline into a furry RC vehicle
Lasers, Arudinos, cats doing funny things -- here's a student project custom built for the internet age. We popped by the Winter Show at NYU's ITP school to check out a new batch of works exploring the intersection between art and technology and couldn't help but be enamored by Cat Car, the "feline fitness frenzy." Designed to be a sort of exercise contraption for our furry friends, Sam Brenner's project eventually blossomed into something for more entertaining, though he assures us that "the safety and wellbeing of the cats involved [were his] top priorit[ies]." Cat Car uses a steering wheel controller with an attached Arduino and gyroscope / accelerometer, which communicate with a cat harness via an XBee. The movements control a servo on the back of the cat, which moves around a laser pointer, propelling the cat forward, thus allowing the user to remotely control the cat. A video of this magic can be found after the break.
