While most 3D printers deposit melted plastic in carefully controlled positions to build up a physical model, a similar process called “bioprinting” can be accomplished with biological materials. Commercial bioprinters can cost tens of thousands of dollars or more, but as shown here you can make your own using the shell an inexpensive desktop machine.
In this example, a Monoprice MP Select Mini V2 is stripped down to its bones and motors, subbing in an Arduino Mega and RAMPS 1.4 stepper driver board.
A syringe-like extruder is added to push out custom bioink, and the Z-axis switch mounting and Marlin firmware is modified to accommodate the new device. The homing sequence is modeled in the video below, giving a short snippet of how it works.
Flowboard provides visual learning environment for coding
Arduino Team — June 10th, 2019
Embedded programming using the Arduino IDE has become an important part of STEM education, and while more accessible than ever before, getting started still requires some coding and basic electronics skills. To explore a different paradigm for starting out on this journey, researchers have developed Flowboard to facilitate visual flow-based programming.
This device consists of an iPad Pro and a set of breadboards on either side. Users can arrange electrical components on these breadboards, changing the flow-based program on the screen as needed to perform the desired actions. Custom ‘switchboard’ hardware, along with an Arduino Uno running a modified version of Firmata, communicate with the iPad editor via Bluetooth.
With maker-friendly environments like the Arduino IDE, embedded programming has become an important part of STEM education. But learning embedded programming is still hard, requiring both coding and basic electronics skills. To understand if a different programming paradigm can help, we developed Flowboard, which uses Flow-Based Programming (FBP) rather than the usual imperative programming paradigm. Instead of command sequences, learners assemble processing nodes into a graph through which signals and data flow. Flowboard consists of a visual flow-based editor on an iPad, a hardware frame integrating the iPad, an Arduino board and two breadboards next to the iPad, letting learners connect their visual graphs seamlessly to the input and output electronics. Graph edits take effect immediately, making Flowboard a live coding environment.
While the hoverboard craze has faded somewhat, the good news is that this means their powerful wheel motors can easily be found on online auction sites. Lukas Kaul took advantage of this component’s availability and created his own “HoverBot,” which as shown in Felix von Drigalski’s video below, acts as something in between a radio-controlled skateboarder and a rather large self-balancing bot.
The device is built around an Arduino Mega, which takes input from an RC receiver, along with a Bosch BNO055 IMU, and passes appropriate signals to the motors through an ODrive controller.
The HoverBot is a bit unsteady at high speeds, requiring close operator supervision. However, it looks like a lot of fun, especially when attempting tricks—sometimes successfully—at a skate park.
If your kids aren’t thrilled about doing chores, you could resort to a whiteboard, or simply create your own RFID tracking system like maker “alastair-a.”
His project uses an Arduino Nano, along with an RFID reader and RTC module to track when a job has been completed. The chore is selected using a rotary encoder and displayed on a 16×2 LCD screen. When it’s done, the child who completed it can then scan in with their RFID fob to claim it as his or her own.
While there was initially some cash payment in mind for each task that’s accomplished, the novelty factor of using the system is reportedly so interesting that alastair’s children have entirely forgotten about it. Whether it works this well or not in all cases is an open question, but Arduino code and build info is available here if you’d like to make your own!
Plastic lid becomes Arduino Nano short circuit armor
Arduino Team — June 7th, 2019
If you want to keep your Arduino project or other circuit boards safe from exposure, an electrical box is the traditional choice. But what if you want to apply protection directly to the board?
In the video below, “TheRainHarvester” shows us a novel and inexpensive method for hardening a Nano from short circuits and other minor exposure by simply melting plastic on the top.
The Nano’s new armor is sourced from a lid that you might find on a coffee or oatmeal container, and after cutting it to size, a “plasti-shell” is fused to the board with a heat gun. The procedure couldn’t be simpler, and appears to provide a good amount of protection for the little board!
Solving the Rubik’s cube with an Arduino-powered machine
Arduino Team — June 6th, 2019
Since its invention in 1974, Rubik’s cubes have been entertaining and frustrating those that choose to take on the challenge of aligning their shapes. More recently, however, people have been building algorithms and machinery to do it for them, including Mario Milanesio’s Arduino Rubik Solver, or ARS.
ARS, which was constructed with the help of Milanseio’s students, is comprised of several 3D-printed and laser-cut parts. The device utilizes a series of four stepper motors to rotate the cube, along with two more to pull the grippers back when needed.
Solving is assisted by the ARS Studio software package, which lets users program in the existing color sequence. It then sends movement commands to an Arduino Uno over serial, which controls the motors via six A4988 Pololu drivers to complete the puzzle.
Do you want to grow your popularity on social media? Sure, there are those online services that could give your audience a boost, but if you’d prefer something a bit more tangible, then the “Quick Fix” vending machine is just the thing for you—and it even accepts actual currency.
After you deposit the appropriate amount of coins and enter your social media account name, you’re then bombarded with an army of new followers or likes. As you might suspect, these interactions are via faux accounts.
Fake or not, it’s a brilliant art installation constructed by Dries Depoorter as a commission for the 2019 Pixelache Festival. The build features an industrial-style enclosure and hardened keyboard, along with an Arduino, a Raspberry Pi 3B+, and a few I2C LCD screens.
As the video below puts it, “Influencers will love it.”
Smart grip system helps cricketers improve their technique
Arduino Team — June 5th, 2019
When batting in cricket, applying the proper amount of force with both hands is critical; however, as a coach, it’s difficult to judge just how much is actually used. To assist with player improvement, researchers at the University of Auckland’s Augmented Human Lab have come up with a bat that senses the force exerted by each hand gripping the handle.
The augmented handle is covered with an array of force sensitive resistors, which push data to an Arduino Mega and then to a PC over Bluetooth. Direct vibrotactile feedback is implemented in a pair of smart wristbands, leading to better accuracy and confidence in swing technique.
CricketCoach is a smart system that creates awareness of the hand-grip force for cricket players. A custom Force-Sensitive Resistor (FSR) matrix was developed and attached to the bat’s handle to sense the gripping. Two wristbands, incorporating vibration motors, provide feedback that helps non-expert users to understand the relative forces exerted by each hand while performing a stroke. A preliminary user study was conducted to collect first insights. The results show that both, binary vibration, as well as vibration patterns, improved the execution of batting strikes significantly.
This motion-tracking face follows you across the room
Arduino Team — June 5th, 2019
Plenty of people and organizations have busts of famous figures, but how many of them can follow you around the room with a moving head? If you would like to be one of those lucky few, check out this Chartreuse model by Anna Lynton.
The face itself was laser cut in layers, stuck together to form its 3D figure, and a diffused LED eye assembly is also implemented to give it a more lifelike feel. Whenever someone approaches Chartreuse, the person or thing is tracked via an ultrasonic sensor mounted to a servo, while a separate stepper is used to actuate the head.
This Arduino Uno-controlled statue not only rotates, but conveys emotion through the color of its eyes, as well as an internal eyebrow assembly that changes the light’s shape.
Meet Chartreuse! Chartreuse’s face follows you when you walk by. When she sees you, her eyes turn yellow and she gets a happy expression in her eyes. As you walk away, her eyes change to blue and she sadly turns away.
Chartreuse is powered by an Arduino Uno, two servos, and a stepper motor and a couple of addressable LEDs and constructed from a few pieces of 1/8″ hardboard.
Think you know Arduino? Show off your skills with the Arduino Certification Program
Arduino Team — June 5th, 2019
The first-ever Arduino certification is now available in Asia, Australia/NZ, the Middle East and Africa, and the Americas (excluding Brazil).
The Arduino Certification: Fundamentals is a structured way to enhance and validate your Arduino skills, and receive official recognition as you progress. Anyone interested in engaging with Arduino through a process that involves study, practice, and project building is encouraged to pursue this official certificate.
Those wishing to learn more can do so here as well as try out our free demo to get a feel for the types of questions on the exam.
Hot on the heels of announcing the launch of the Arduino SIM in the US, we’re very pleased to further roll out availability of the data plan to Asia, Australia/NZ, Middle East and Africa, and the Americas (excluding Brazil).
With 10MB free data for up to 90 days and a global roaming profile, the new Arduino SIM offers the simplest path to cellular IoT device development.
The Plan:
Arduino SIM comes with 10 MB of data free for the first days 90 days.
One simple subscription at 5 MB for $1.50 USD per month*.
Global roaming profile – enjoy the same amount of data traffic for the same price wherever you are operating the device around the world.
Cellular connectivity to the Arduino IoT Cloud – monitor and control your devices anytime, anywhere.
Ideal for connected devices on the go or in areas without reliable WiFi.
Scalable to large numbers of devices in the future with Arm Pelion Connectivity Management.
*Available worldwide except for the European Union and Brazil
Currently, the Arduino SIM will allow users to send data into the Arduino IoT Cloud, while later in the year they will also be able to use the Arduino SIM to connect to the Internet via a combination of webhooks and APIs.
Arduino SIM will initially be compatible with the MKR GSM 1400 (3G with 2G fallback) — an Arm Cortex-M0+ board supporting TLS and X.509 certificate-based authentication through an on-board secure element and crypto accelerator. The Arduino IoT Cloud makes it possible for anyone to connect to these boards securely without any coding required, but they are still programmable using open-source libraries and the traditional Arduino IDE.
As seen here, “Standard controllers for virtual reality (VR) lack sophisticated means to convey realistic, kinesthetic impression on size, resistance or inertia.” To overcome these limitations, André Zenner and Antonio Krüger at the German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence (DFKI) have come up with Drag:on—a haptic feedback device that changes air resistance and weight distribution using a pair of commercially-available hand fans.
Drag:on uses a pair of MG996R servos to actuate the fan, shifting its weight and air resistance as needed to simulate a virtual environment. The assembly is attached to an HTC Vive tracker, and an Arduino Nano provides control and computer interface via a USB serial link.
Drag:on leverages the airflow occurring at the controller during interaction. By dynamically adjusting its surface area, the controller changes the drag and rotational inertia felt by the user. In a user study, we found that Drag:on can provide distinguishable levels of haptic feedback. Our prototype increases the haptic realism in VR compared to standard controllers and when rotated or swung improves the perception of virtual resistance. By this, Drag:on provides haptic feedback suitable for rendering different virtual mechanical resistances, virtual gas streams, and virtual objects differing in scale, material and fill state
Newton’s cradles consist of a series of suspended spherical masses, and are normally started by pulling one ball back. The outer balls then click back and forth for an interesting distraction.
To make things even more interesting, “TecnoProfesor” made his own version using ping pong balls and RGB LEDs. As the outer balls sway, they light up in sequence, while the three inner balls stay largely in one place.
Power here isn’t provided by kinetic energy, but everything moves via a pair of servo motors. An Arduino Mega is used to control the light/motion simulator, and a button and potentiometer allow the user to change between two modes and variable swing frequency.
If you want to know more about properties and widgets, you can go here.
Now it’s possible to arrange the widgets as you like. You can also increase their size and move them around following your needs.
In order to resize them, simply drag the small resize handle in the right bottom corner of each widget. This way, they become dynamic and the widgets below will adjust and rearrange accordingly.
How to resize properties boxes
For now, Location and String are the only resizable widgets.
If you want to move the properties around, just click and drag the title area.
How to move properties boxes
Below you can see the callbacks used in this easy example
The original Arduino Nano occupies a special place in many makers’ hearts. The tiny footprint (48×18 mm – around half a stick of gum), reliability and tons of examples makes the Nano perfect for wearables, drones — in fact any project made to last.
The Nano is back! The new entry-level Arduino Nano Every manages to pack in even more features at an even lower price — just $9.90 / €8.00 without headers — and is backwards compatible with the original. Dario Pennisi led the development of the board, so we sat down with him to learn more.
Why did you decide to create the Arduino Nano Every?
The size of Arduino Nano Every makes it ideal for wearable projects; in experiments, in prototypes or in a full cosplay setup! Sensors and motors can be connected without too much fuss which means it’s great for robotics, drones and 3D printing too.
Searching for “Arduino Nano project” returns millions of results for the original. But you also find people complaining about boards not working. Of course those boards are usually clones – not genuine Arduino boards! Clones can have reliability issues which mean you need to pay for more, or are frustrated trying to get them to work.
So this is why we made the Arduino Nano Every. It’s reliable, affordable and more powerful. The newer ATmega4809 microcontroller fixes limitations of older ATmega328p based boards – you can add a second hardware serial port! More peripherals and memory means you can tackle more ambitious projects. The Configurable Custom Logic (CCL) is a great way to get beginners more interested in hardware. We’ve used a quality USB chip so people won’t have connection or driver issues. The separate processor handling the USB interface also makes it possible to implement different USB classes such as Human Interface Device (HID) instead of just the classic CDC/UART.
So not only is it a great choice for makers – in buying a genuine Arduino they will be supporting us in continuing to contribute to open source for the whole community to benefit from.
Can you tell us the three key features of Nano Every?
New processor with more memory and new peripherals, still 5V capable. The added memory will unleash creativity and open to more complex applications and the new peripheral set, which includes a second serial port, will finally allow communicating at the same time with a PC and with peripherals such as a wireless interface or a GPS.
The new power supply architecture based on a high efficiency DC-DC converter allows powering the board at up to 21V and to drive output peripherals with up to 950mA without overheating
Castellated contacts and flush bottom side allow soldering the Nano Every directly on a board as a traditional SMT component, opening the possibility to reduce final product size and helping the use in volume applications
So the processor is the same as the Uno WiFi R2 and it has more Flash and more RAM. The sketches made for the Nano are going to run on the Every as they are? Is it truly a replacement with zero modification in any Nano based project? Please elaborate.
Actually the ATmega4809 we use on Uno WiFi R2 and Nano Every is not directly compatible with ATmega328p, however we’ve implemented a compatibility layer which translates low level register writes without any overhead so the result is that most libraries and sketches, even those accessing directly GPIO registers, will work out of the box
Why you decided to offer the board with no headers supplied or soldered in the basic package?
Not only are new Nano boards are offered without headers, they all are totally flat on the bottom side and offer castellated pads on the sides, so you can actually solder them on your PCB as a standard SMT component using a normal pick & place machine.
The price is really aggressive, did you compromise on Arduino quality standards to achieve this?
We’ll never give up on Arduino quality standards and we’re still manufacturing in Italy making sure that our ethical values are strictly followed. The lower price point on these products has been achieved thanks to a careful optimization on purchasing prices and by trimming our margins as we believe that it’s important to give makers the quality they deserve at competitive prices.
The Arduino Nano Every is now available for pre-order on the Arduino online store with headers (estimate shipping date: end of July 2019) or without headers mounted (estimated shipping date: mid-June 2019).
Augmented office chair provides hands-free drone control
Arduino Team — May 29th, 2019
Multi-rotor drones are normally controlled using handheld devices, but what if you wanted to instead operate them with your whole body? Flight Chair, developed by researchers at Simon Fraser University in Canada, allows you to do just that, and is envisioned for use with emergency personnel observing a scene.
The chair is augmented with ultrasonic sensors to detect when a user leans forward, backward, left, and right, commanding the drone to do the same, while a gyroscopic sensor detects when the chair is swiveled to adjust its heading.
Altitude adjustment is handled by a T-shaped foot panel, leaving one’s hands free to do other tasks. Sensor values are collected by an Arduino Mega, which passes this to a drone server over a USB connection.
In future, emergency services will increasingly use technology to assist emergency service dispatchers and call taker with information during an emergency situation. One example could be the use of drones for surveying an emergency situation and providing contextual knowledge to emergency service call takers and first responders. The challenge is that drones can be difficult for users to maneuver in order to see specific items. In this paper, we explore the idea of a drone being controlled by an emergency call taker using embodied interaction on a tangible chair. The interactive chair, called Flight Chair, allows call takers to perform hands-free control of a drone through body movements on the chair. These include tilting and turning of one’s body.
RC wheelbarrow racing with James Bruton, Ivan Miranda, and Tom Stanton
Arduino Team — May 28th, 2019
We’ve seen Arduino boards used in a wide variety of situations, but this may be the first time one has been implemented to control an RC wheelbarrow.
In the video below, YouTubers James Bruton, Tom Stanton, and Ivan Miranda have taken on a ‘barrow racing challenge,’ where each competitor must modify a wheelbarrow for remote racing purposes.
Miranda and Stanton went with air-powered designs, while Bruton instead chose differential steering, adding a pair of wheelchair wheels to the main wheel that he modified to swivel on a caster. Bruton’s user interface is provided by a generic RC transmitter, and an Arduino Mega translates these signals into the proper left/right wheel speeds.
‘Race’ results are quite entertaining, and include a variety of wheelies, crashes, and even some improvisation to deal with the day’s rainy conditions!
Mastermind is a game where one player attempts to guess a secret combination of colored pegs. It normally requires a second player to act as the judge, giving hints in the form of secondary pegs as to whether the other participant is on the right track. Maker “luisdel” decided to put a new spin on things using an Arduino Mega to display RGB LEDs on a Star Wars-themed play field. This automation allows players to directly compete, rather than taking turns.
In action, each player uses a series of buttons to enter light codes, with 10 tries at guessing the correct combination. No human judge is needed, so it’s a race to see who can unlock this critical sequence first and save—or further subjugate—the galaxy!
These are adverse times for rebellion. Although the Death Star has been destroyed, the Imperial troops are using free hardware and Arduino as a secret weapon.
That is the advantage of free technologies, any person (either good or bad) can use them.
In a hidden base located on the planet Anoat, they are building a 3D printer capable of replicating Imperial Destroyer.
The only solution to defeat the Empire is that a group of rebels commanded by Luke Skycuartielles and Obi-Wan Banzi, defeat the imperial troops and get the key that will give access to the plans to destroy the secret weapon.
This key consists of 4 colors and you have 10 attempts to get it deciphered. There are only four rules:
1. The colors can be repeated
2. A white light indicates that you have hit the right color and position
3. A violet light indicates that you have hit the color but not the position
4. If there is no light you have not guessed the color or the position.
You must hurry since at the other extreme, the evil Darth Ballmer will try to get the key before you. In that case, you will not be able to find out what it is and you will not have access to the plans of the secret weapon. Your mission will have failed.
Little Padawan, may the force accompany you to decipher the key and thus be able to save the galaxy.
You’ve seen LED matrices, E Ink, CRTs, and likely a variety of other display methods, but chances are you’ve never seen anything like the ferrofluid matrix display by ‘Applied Procrastination.’
This student team from the University of Oslo has created a 252-pixel ferrofluid panel, dubbed “Fetch,” manipulating the inky black substance suspended in a saltwater brine with an array of electromagnets.
The video below, however, shows only an early 6×6 prototype powered by an Arduino and motor driver. While certainly not as impressive as the yet-to-be-revealed final result, watching the fluid move via this small matrix and even under ‘manual’ magnet control is still incredible.
More details on the build—and of course, the large display—is forthcoming, so you may want to subscribe to or bookmark their channel to see what comes next!
The Nano form factor has been a crowd-pleaser amongst makers for years due to its small footprint and ease of integration into any project. As announced at Maker Faire Bay Area, the Nano 33 IoT is part of the new 3.3V variant of the family, adding a pre-certified ESP32-based WiFi and Bluetooth module that brings sophisticated connectivity to its tiny package. The inclusion of an ECC608A crypto chip provides the security that Arduino users are now used to as opposed to other competing solutions that lack a secure key storage.
Today, we sat down with Dario Pennisi, Arduino hardware and firmware development manager, to learn more about the Nano 33 IoT.
What are three key features of this board? How will they impact the experience of our users?
1. Secure WiFi and Bluetooth connectivity with a 6-axis IMU.
2. Pre-certified module with external processor ensures maintaining RF compliance when writing application code versus ESP32 modules where modifying code impacts certification.
3. On-board DC-DC power supply enables the board to be powered up to 21V maintaining high efficiency and offering a lot of current to external devices without overheating. This is a big improvement over other products on the market that have LDO and heat up quite a bit when powered at high voltages.
What are a few applications and why is this board a great option for them?
1. Add WiFi and Bluetooth connectivity with strong security to all the existing Arduino Nano applications.
2. On-board IMU can be used to wirelessly monitor vibration, orientation, and rotational speed of small objects thanks to its lightweight and compact form factor.
3. Run directly from high voltages from lead or multi-cell Lithium-ion batteries providing 3.3V power supply to peripherals at significant output current.
Which Arduino board is the most similar to the Nano 33?
The Nano 33 IoT is essentially a MKR WiFi 1010, but sacrifices a battery charger and shield compatibility in favor of a miniaturized footprint and lower cost. The Nano 33 IoT is built around the ESP32, which is primarily aimed at WiFi but supports Bluetooth as well, although with higher power consumption than the Nano 33 BLE.
Supercapacitors are intriguing power sources, and while they don’t hold as much total energy as a battery, they can store and release charges in an instant. To take advantage of this interesting properly, Mike Rigsby created the ‘Little Flash‘ rover.
This device uses a pair of continuous rotation-modded servos to move about for roughly 20 minutes. It’s controlled by an Arduino Uno, and employs over-current detection as well as a bump switch to keep it from getting stuck.
The coolest feature, however, is that it’s powered by a bank of three 350 farad supercaps in series. The capacitor setup allows it to charge in seconds, though with a current flow of nearly 50 amps, charging experimentation wisely took place with Rigsby some distance away!
A few months ago, maker Fabian Mazza created a CD ROM plotter for his daughters. While the three-year-old loves it, the eight-year-old thought it was too small. Rather than giving up—or building a CNC machine from scratch—he cleverly constructed a new plotter out of a Smith Corona electric typewriter.
Since this device is designed to control the X and Y positions of a writing implement using steppers, it gave him everything he needed for CNC use via an Arduino Uno and GRBL shield.
For better resolution, he added gear reduction to the carriage stepper salvaged from an old scanner. Z-axis movement is done using parts from a DVD-ROM to control whether the pen lowered onto the paper or retracted.
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