Schlagwort: 3dprint
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Can you smell what the Rockobot is cooking?
Reading Time: 2 minutesModern engineering is increasingly cross-disciplinary, so today’s students often take courses that would have seemed to be “outside their field” a couple of decades ago. Pelochus and their classmates at the University of Granada are studying computer engineering, but had a class that challenged them to build battlebots in order to get…
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A simple non-contact lap timer for RC car racing
Reading Time: 2 minutesRemote control cars have been popular toys for children and adults alike for decades now. And while there is plenty of fun to be had cruising around, a little bit of healthy competition can add another layer of enjoyment. To race or practice racing, you’ll want some way to time your laps.…
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The new Arduino GIGA Display Shield: Nice touch!
Reading Time: 2 minutesA few months ago, we promised you that the GIGA R1 WiFi would allow you to “think bigger and be more creative than ever”. Now, we are happy to announce you can step up your game even further, with the introduction of the Arduino GIGA Display Shield — an innovative touchscreen solution…
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This machine automatically threads beautiful string art
Reading Time: 2 minutesString art is impressive precisely because it is so difficult to make. Even a simple piece of string art will contain hundreds of feet of thread carefully looped around posts to create areas of varying density that act as shading. Everything from calculating the string’s path to physically laying down the string…
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Automating Connect Four setup and cleanup
Reading Time: 2 minutesGood old-fashioned tabletop games are a lot of fun to play, but they’re a pain in the butt to set up. We all know the pain of divvying out Monopoly money and organizing tiny plastic houses. Connect Four players might spend as much time organizing pieces between games as they do actually…
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DIY sequential gear shifter for sim racing
Reading Time: 2 minutesA sequential transmission is one that only allows you to move up or down by a single gear at a time. They’ve always been the norm for motorcycles, because they’re lightweight and compact. And Formula One cars have sequential transmissions for the same reasons. But unlike motorcycles, which require manual shifting, Formula…
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10 cutting-edge ways to impress your guests with the IoT
Reading Time: 8 minutesThe Internet of Things has the power to transform your home into a futuristic web of cutting-edge gadgets, working together to make life easier, safer, and more entertaining. And while the IoT has a bunch of day-to-day applications like watering your plants and keeping your cupboards stocked, you can also use it…
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Industry automation? There’s an app for that! With FLECS and Portenta X8
Reading Time: 2 minutesFLECS and Arduino Pro are partnering to make Industry 4.0 easier for you. FLECS is the easy-to-configure and open-source platform that allows industrial users to work with automation solutions dedicated to their machinery just as easily as we all handle the apps on our phone: install, manage and configure via web interface,…
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DIY digital VU meter with analog vibes
Reading Time: 2 minutesA volume unit (VU) meter is a simple gauge that indicates the amplitude of an audio signal, so higher decibels move the needle further. They’re common in the field of audio engineering and music production, with traditional VU meters being analog. But tuning an analog gauge is a challenge, so Mirko Pavleski…
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Piloting spaceships with a DIY cockpit
Reading Time: 2 minutesTake a moment to go and look up some photos of the cockpits of airplanes and spacecraft. All of them are packed full of instruments and controls. So why do we feel like we can play a flight simulator with a regular gamepad? If you’re doing so, then you’re missing out on…
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Turning an old car into a powerful generator
Reading Time: 2 minutesGenerators are expensive pieces of equipment. You can get a small low-quality model for a few hundred dollars, but powerful high-quality generators cost thousands or even tens of thousands of dollars. Old cars, on the other hand, can be very cheap — especially if they aren’t roadworthy anymore. Jake von Slatt has…
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Improving comfort and energy efficiency in buildings with automated windows and blinds
Reading Time: 2 minutesWhen dealing with indoor climate controls, there are several variables to consider, such as the outside weather, people’s tolerance to hot or cold temperatures, and the desired level of energy savings. Windows can make this extra challenging, as they let in large amounts of light/heat and can create poorly insulated regions, which…
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Some of the biggest ways home automation is changing in 2023
Reading Time: 8 minutesHome automation is exploding in popularity. In 2021, the average household had 25 connected devices, a massive increase on previous years, driven in no small part by the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdowns. And in 2023, the number of smart homes worldwide looks set to hit 195.8 million. We’re living through a fascinating…
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Building a rodent-friendly catch-and-release mousetrap with Arduino
Reading Time: 2 minutesRodents, including mice, are problematic. They can cause significant damage to your home by chewing up wires, walls, and insulation, while leaving behind unsanitary droppings that present a health hazard. But those of us who love animals are reluctant to utilize traditional mousetraps. Not only are those fatal, but they can also…
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Adding an LCD interface to an old file server
Reading Time: 2 minutesServers don’t usually need monitors, keyboards, or mice. Because the user only interacts with servers through separate devices under normal conditions, a server can just be a box with with a processor, RAM, storage, and network adapter. But that becomes an issue if something is wrong with the server that requires direct…
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Lab-on-a-drone detects and analyzes pollutants from the sky
Reading Time: 2 minutesAir quality concerns encompass several different pollutants and irritants. Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) were, for example, a major concern in the 20th century due to the damage they cause to the ozone layer. But not all pollutants are easy to monitor. Hydrogen sulfide, which causes irritation of the eyes, nose, and throat at low…
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Practical magnetic switches make this electronic chessboard possible
Reading Time: 2 minutesYou can play chess just as easily on a $2 set from a thrift store as you can on a $2,000 ornate set from a bespoke retailer. But that doesn’t stop people from building or buying those fancy chess sets. If you’re the DIY type, you may even be interested in an…
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Teaching an Arduino UNO R4-powered robot to navigate obstacles autonomously
Reading Time: 2 minutesThe rapid rise of edge AI capabilities on embedded targets has proven that relatively low-resource microcontrollers are capable of some incredible things. And following the recent release of the Arduino UNO R4 with its Renesas RA4M1 processor, the ceiling has gotten even higher as YouTuber Nikodem Bartnik has demonstrated with his lidar-equipped mobile robot. Bartnik’s…
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This kinetic sculpture is incredibly mesmerizing
Reading Time: 2 minutesThe great thing about art is that it doesn’t have to serve a purpose. When utility is irrelevant, the artist is free to express their creativity in whatever way they like. A painting doesn’t have to inspire introspection or revolution — it can just be something pretty to look at. In the…
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Growing real-world cyborg devices
Reading Time: 2 minutesCyborgs have long been a staple of sci-fi, but we see few real-world examples of this concept outside of a handful of biomedical devices and prostheses. But bionics — engineered systems that integrate biological structures — is an adjacent field with interesting possibilities. A bionic device would include some biological material (often…
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Let’s connect at The Things Conference 2023
Reading Time: 4 minutesIt’s time to catch up on all things LoRaWAN® and low-power IoT! Our team is looking forward to returning to The Things Conference this year, joining all LoRa® key players in Amsterdam on September 21st-22nd. Our experts will be showcasing new products and applications relevant to the technology that is putting the…
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Your Arduino Nano ES32 can run Doom
Reading Time: 2 minutes“But can it run Doom?” is more than just a joke in the tech world. It is also a decent litmus test for the computing power of hardware. That test isn’t very relevant for modern computers, but it is still worth asking when discussing microcontrollers. Microcontrollers vary in dramatically in processing power and…
