Schlagwort: Uno

  • This Arduino device will sort your M&M’s by color

    This Arduino device will sort your M&M’s by color

    Reading Time: 2 minutes

    This Arduino device will sort your M&M’s by color

    Arduino TeamJune 18th, 2021

    If you were challenged to design a device that could sort M&M candies by color, how would you make it work? You might consider using machine learning, which has become accessible in recent years. There are even ML models available today that can run on Arduino boards. But Jack Monaco (AKA Jackofalltrades_) found a more elegant solution when he created this Arduino Uno-controlled M&M’s sorter.

    We perceive color based on the wavelengths of light that an object reflects. A white object reflects all visible wavelengths well. A black object doesn’t reflect any visible wavelengths well. A blue object reflects blue wavelengths better than others. This machine relies on those facts to detect the color of an M&M candy.

    A hopper mechanism feeds a single candy into a small, dark chamber. A white LED and an RGB LED then shine different colors of light onto the candy while an Uno measures the intensity of the reflected light using a photoresistor. If the measured intensity is highest when the RGB LED is set to full red, then the board knows that M&M is red and will dispense it into the correct receptacle using a small servo motor.

    [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6h3y0Ycefz0?feature=oembed&w=500&h=281]

    The hopper and dispenser mechanisms are 3D-printable. A plastic bottle feeds the hopper and is big enough for a normal bag of M&M’s. The sorted candies drop into a small glass jar that has a 3D-printed divider, creating separate areas for each color. If you want to build your own M&M’s sorter, Monaco included the STL files and Arduino code in his Instructables tutorial.

    Website: LINK

  • The Piano Metronome is key to keeping the beat

    The Piano Metronome is key to keeping the beat

    Reading Time: 2 minutes

    Arduino TeamJune 16th, 2021

    In the world of music, being able to keep time accurately is vital when playing a piece, as even small deviations in timing can cause the notes played to sound “off.” Ordinarily a device called a metronome is used to provide consistent ticks that the musician can use, but most are not that visually interesting. This is what inspired ChristineNZ over on Instructables to create her own metronome that uses an Arduino Uno to both show the beat and produce a small noise. 

    ChristineNZ’s Piano Metronome enables users to select both the rate (tempo) of the beat and its volume by turning one of two rotary encoders. Rather than having some clunky interface, this project has a large 20×4 I2C LCD on the front that displays the current time via an RTC, the sound’s amplitude, and even subdivisions. The top of the enclosure also holds four RGB LEDs that visually indicate the beat and subdivision if present.

    One other cool feature of the Piano Metronome is its ability to show various tempo markings, which are the names given to the beats-per-minute value. To observe ChristineNZ’s project in action, check out the video below or visit its write-up to see how it was built along with the accompanying software.

    [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nwqBwL1s3EM?feature=oembed&w=500&h=281]

    Website: LINK

  • This Arduino project is counting to a billion

    This Arduino project is counting to a billion

    Reading Time: 3 minutes
    Counting to a Billion is probably the longest running Arduino project ever.

    Good design counts for everything

    Designer Che-Wei Wang built a simple Arduino project that’s counting to a billion, and has been doing so for over 10 years. Could this be the longest continually running Arduino project in the world?

    Che-Wei has a background in art, architecture and industrial design. He now runs a boutique design studio with is wife Taylor, called CW&T. But it was during his time at university that he first discovered his love for Arduino.

    “I first started using Arduino when I went to [the Interactive Telecommunications Program] at NYU in 2007,” he explains. “I got hooked the moment I got an LED to blink and went on to build a fuzzy GPS robot that guides you to places around the city.”

    Even now there’s a clear technological slant to his design work. As you look through the products CW&T has created, more than a few have embedded electronics at their core. He also has a rare eye for the beauty of minimalism, both in terms of design and function. Which is probably why one of his first Arduino projects is both simple, and stunning.

    “As a kid, I would challenge myself to count to as high of a number as possible,” he laughs. “I don’t remember how high I got. Probably not past a few hundred. So I built this device as a way to fulfil my childhood dream of counting to an insanely high number!”

    The Counting to a Billion project

    Back in 2009, Che-Wei created his next project to help him achieve that childhood objective. Counting to a Billion has an Arduino board with a text-to-speech converter and a speaker that continually reads out the next number. When it gets to billion, it’ll stop.

    “It lives in our basement, so every time you go downstairs, there’s a voice just counting away.”

    [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9BTz8fBWwls?feature=oembed&w=500&h=281]

    Che-Wei clearly gave this a lot of thought in his initial designs. Like a lot of minimalist product designs, there’s a lot of work needed to make them look so simple. Counting at one number per second, continually, you’re looking at over 31 years to get to a billion. That means this apparently simple project needs to be incredibly robust.

    Counting to a Billion is encased in a machined aluminium housing for safety. It writes the last number to EEPROM, in case of catastrophic power failure. And there’s a rechargeable backup battery so it keeps counting whenever the devices needs to be moved or unplugged.

    It was activated at 9AM on May, 9th, 2009 and is still happily running, without interruption. It’s hard to imagine there are many other Arduino projects that have been running continuously for this long. If there are, we definitely want you to tell us all about them!

    Down for the count

    “I still use Arduino all the time,” Che-Wei continues, “for work, for home projects, and gifts.”

    The Counting to a Billion project has actually provided inspiration for CW&T’s current products. In their shop is a strangely attractive device, called Nothing Lasts Forever. This sealed glass capsule has an e-ink display that counts up ever time you press the button on the machined aluminium cap. If and when it reaches 999,999, the device will stop functioning. Although the electronics are custom, it still uses the EEPROM method developed for Counting to a Billion to keep track of the number.

    So, you’re probably wondering what number Che-Wei’s project is currently at? To recap, at the exact moment of writing, it’s now been running continuously for 12 years, one month and five days, or:

    • 145 months
    • 631 weeks
    • 4419 days
    • 106,046 hours
    • 6,362,764 minutes
    • 381,765,878 seconds

    “As of right now, on June 8th, 2021, 10:42AM,” Che-Wei concludes, when we spoke about his project, “the count is at 47,684,610.”

    Have you built a project that’s been running for a long time? We want to hear all about it! Share it on the Arduino Project Hub, in the comments, on social media, or over on the forum.

    Website: LINK

  • PneuMat is an interactive shape-changing system to help ensure infants sleep safely

    PneuMat is an interactive shape-changing system to help ensure infants sleep safely

    Reading Time: 2 minutes

    Arduino TeamJune 3rd, 2021

    Every parent knows that babies need to sleep in specific conditions. Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) is a very tragic possibility and a number of steps must be taken to prevent it, such as avoiding blankets that can restrict an infant’s breathing. But babies can also choke on milk if they aren’t lying in an ideal position. PneuMat is a special Arduino-controlled system that is capable of autonomously moving a baby back into a safe resting position.

    Babies would rest on top of a PneuMat in their crib or on table. Pressure sensors line the surface of the mat and detect the baby’s position. It can differentiate between a baby lying on its side and a baby lying on its back. If the baby’s position is inappropriate, the air chambers in the mat inflate independently to change their posture. If, for instance, a baby has just been fed, PneuMat can keep the baby on their back and in an inclined position to keep them from choking on milk. It can also roll a baby over.

    An Arduino Uno is important for enabling PneuMat’s functionality. It monitors the pressure sensors that line the mat and controls the pumps that inflate the air chambers when required. In addition to saving lives directly, PneuMat could provide useful data over time. Because it is always monitoring the infant’s sleeping position, it can determine how they toss and turn while they sleep. That information could help doctors better understand SIDS and learn how best to prevent the worst from happening.

    [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UT54jGBk-6o?feature=oembed&w=500&h=281]

    Website: LINK

  • A remote-controlled Arduino Nerf tank

    A remote-controlled Arduino Nerf tank

    Reading Time: 2 minutes

    Arduino TeamMay 31st, 2021

    Arduino Nerf Tank

    Makers love Nerf guns, but Nathan Li takes foam-based home security to a new level with his mini Nerf tank. Naturally there’s an Arduino Uno in there, powering the mobile dart launcher.

    Scruffy lookin’ Nerf tank herder

    This miniature roving robot, known as M.A.T. (Modular Arduino Tank), is beautifully built. Not only is it remarkably accurate, but the dart launching mechanism is a triumph of non-lethal weapon design.

    Unlike the majority of Nerf mods out there, this tank doesn’t actually use any parts from a toy gun. Attached to the front of the dart turret is a pair of flywheel motors. These spin the flywheels in opposite directions, at a pretty fast rate. An arm mounted on a servo feeds a dart into the flywheels, which propel it at an impressive lick!

    The next dart is gravity fed, and simply falls into place, making it quite a rapid firing micro tank.

    Testing the tank

    Li takes his tank through a series of batteries, all of which show impressive results. Accuracy is spot on, which isn’t easy with notoriously unreliable Nerf darts. A five-foot muzzle velocity test achieves a whopping 35MPH dart speed. The distance test sends foam projectiles an impressive 44 feet.

    Then there’s a demonstration of some excellent grouping in the accuracy test.

    It’s sparked up a whole conversation over on Reddit about how the firing mechanism can be modified. The flywheel thrower operates much like baseball launchers (and this dog toy, for example), which has really captured the maker community’s imagination. Shooting dried peas seems to be a popular idea. As does the idea of building in object detection for pest control.

    The maker has shared his Arduino code on GitHub. You can also find the 3D print files and a build guide on Li’s website.

    Website: LINK

  • This low-cost motion control rig helps capture high-quality shots

    This low-cost motion control rig helps capture high-quality shots

    Reading Time: 2 minutes

    Arduino TeamMay 25th, 2021

    Being a camera operator is tough. Having to move the camera and maintain a smooth motion can be tricky, and the speed at which it’s done is never consistent. That’s what prompted Andy to create his own motorized robotic camera rig that can move in up to four different axes simultaneously. The camera gets attached to a standard mounting plate and then placed into the gimbal. The gimbal is able to both pitch the camera up (rotate around the X axis) and rotate it side to side (called ‘yaw’ or Z-axis rotation). In order to prevent a bunch of wires from tangling around each other while spinning, each rotational axis uses a slipring to transfer electrical power and signals continuously. 

    Most of the magic is housed in the electronics and software. Andy went with an Arduino Uno running Grbl firmware to translate GCODE commands into concrete actions with the stepper motors. He used a set of opto-interrupting modules that detect when an object has passed between an emitter and detector to signal when the axis is homed. And finally, a Raspberry Pi runs his custom program that takes in keyframe data, parses it, and sends it to the Uno. 

    As you can see from his excellent video, the camera rig is amazing at capturing smooth, continuous shots along multiple axes. You can view more about this project on its Hackaday write-up

    [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IlbN-H5FYP0?feature=oembed&w=500&h=281]

    Website: LINK

  • Super compact motorized turn signals for a bike

    Super compact motorized turn signals for a bike

    Reading Time: 2 minutes

    Arduino TeamMay 24th, 2021

    cycling turn signals project

    Turn signals are becoming more and more popular with cyclists. So it’s no surprise that we’re seeing more and more Arduino projects that give people the tools they need to ride safely on our busy roads.

    Motorized Turn Signals

    The first question you might ask about Tom Ouwerkerk’s latest Arduino project is why it’s motorized. His objective was to make a turn signal unit that’s as compact as possible. When you consider the amount of space you have on a bicycle frame, it makes a lot of sense.

    His solution was to use two 8-LED Neopixel strips, side-by-side. The small housing they’re mounted in has a servo that’s driven by an Arduino Uno. The servo slides the LED strips side to side as Ouwerkerk make a turn signal.

    The LEDs run in the turn direction to add a bit of movement to the signal as they slide to the side. It’s a great way to draw a bit of extra attention to the lights from the vehicles behind. This means the LED strips return to the center position to work as a break light when not turning. All of this in a 3D-printed unit that’s no wider than the bicycle’s saddle. So you’re not going to kick (and break) as you get on and off.

    3D Printing Practice

    As much as a turn signal project, this was a 3D printing design project for Ouwerkerk. He was experimenting with creating herringbone gears, which transfer power smoothly with excellent torque. But creating the chevron pattern is tricky, due to the precision required.

    Clearly Ouwerkerk nailed it, though. You can see from the video of his turn signal project that the servo is moving the LEDs easily and smoothly.

    We’d be interested in seeing the controls Ouwerkerk’s using, too. Presumably handlebar mounted switches or buttons for the turn signals and brakes. It’d also be interesting to know if it’s something that can run from batteries and a dynamo.

    [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3L-Wy_X-B-k?feature=oembed&w=500&h=281]

    Website: LINK

  • Foamin is a novel sensing method for detecting deformable gestures with conductive foam

    Foamin is a novel sensing method for detecting deformable gestures with conductive foam

    Reading Time: 2 minutes

    Arduino TeamMay 21st, 2021

    The field of soft tactile sensors is fascinating, as they grant robots the ability to move more freely or have greater granularity. Soft sensors also allow for human-computer interfaces to feel more interactive. However, previous sensors like these required multiple devices or complex wiring, making them difficult to use. To address these challenges, researchers from the University of Tokyo and Mercari R4D were able to come up with a way to integrate touch-sensitive pads onto a piece of foam, which they call “foamin.” 

    Foamin consists of a small piece of foam that has a series of conductive rows on its surface. These strips are separated by air, which is an insulator, thus creating a capacitor. When a human’s finger glides across, both the capacitance of the overall circuit and the resistance change. This impedance is measured by a single wire with an Arduino Uno, and after some data filtering, the team had a set of 60 data points per gesture. They then trained a model with this data and were able to achieve an accuracy of 100% when a mesh shield was attached. 

    This system is amazing for a whole host of possible applications. The researchers suggested using foamin as a musical instrument (similar to a launchpad), a numeric keypad, and even as a smart cushion to sense which posture the sitter is currently in.

    You can see more about the project in the team’s published paper and in the video below.

    [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oD9ND7Tqr0o?start=54&feature=oembed&w=500&h=281]

    Website: LINK

  • This soft tactile sensor can simultaneously estimate the contact force and location

    This soft tactile sensor can simultaneously estimate the contact force and location

    Reading Time: 2 minutes

    Arduino TeamMay 20th, 2021

    Robots are often filled with a myriad of different sensors but being able to detect touch is still fairly tough. This is primarily due to needing a large sensing area, flexible surfaces, and usually having complex circuitry. Imagine a robotic gripper that uses several “fingers” to lift and manipulate produce, or a humanoid that can respond to feedback on its hands. Other technologies such as capacitive and vision sensors have been tried in the past, but both use complicated and expensive components. A team at the Department of Mechanical Engineering at UC Berkeley was able to engineer a solution to this problem by utilizing a novel combination a two-layer structure. The first layer is a conductive fabric that is responsible for sensing the contact force, whereas the second layer of four rubber elements senses where the touch took place. 

    On its own, the resulting signal is quite noisy, so the researchers used an Arduino to read in the raw analog data, filter it, and then send it to a computer for extra processing. Once this was done, a machine learning regression model was created to fine-tune the detection capabilities. 

    To test their device, the team placed weights of varying sizes on each corner to simulate a touch. As seen in the graphs below, the system is already quite accurate, and with more training it can become even better over time. 

    You can read more about how this sensor was made by reading the research paper here.

    Images: Yang et al.

    Website: LINK

  • Recognizing handwritten MNIST digits on an Arduino Uno using LogNNet

    Recognizing handwritten MNIST digits on an Arduino Uno using LogNNet

    Reading Time: 2 minutes

    Arduino TeamMay 19th, 2021

    The Arduino Uno is famous for its ease of use and compact size, yet its microcontroller, the ATmega328P, is quite small. The 328P contains a mere 32KB of flash storage for programs and 2KB of RAM, which has traditionally made it unsuitable for machine learning applications. However, a team at the Institute of Physics and Technology at Petrozavodsk State University was able to cram an algorithm that can recognize the handwritten digits within the MNIST dataset. Without getting too complicated, the Uno takes in an array of pixels that range in value from 0 to 255, or one byte. The entire 28 by 28 grid is then flattened to a single array of 784 elements that is passed into a reservoir that holds the weights for each pixel. As the model continues to get trained, these weights are gradually adjusted until the output matches the correct digit.

    Input data is read from the serial port and stored within an array, where it is then used within the LogNNet library to compute the layer values. Once everything has been passed through the neural network the resulting digit is printed to the serial monitor. Overall, the neural network’s variables in RAM are quite space-efficient and account for just over a kilobyte. 

    As seen below, the researchers were able to achieve an accuracy of 82% with an inferencing time of around seven seconds, which is quite impressive for such a small chip. To read more about how the LogNNet reservoir neural network operates, be sure to check out the team’s paper.

    Image: Izotov et al.

    Website: LINK

  • Elevate is a walkable pin array floor that generates shape-changing terrains for VR

    Elevate is a walkable pin array floor that generates shape-changing terrains for VR

    Reading Time: 2 minutes

    Arduino TeamMay 19th, 2021

    Virtual reality technology has come a long way in the last decade, but there are still some major things that could be done to make it even more interactive and immersive. For one, what if VR users could actually feel the ground they walk on rather than simply see it? A team of students from KAIST in South Korea and the University of Chicago set out to tackle this by creating a fairly large 1.8 by 0.6 meter platform that can accurately create the feeling of varied terrain. Called the Elevate, this device uses a total of 1,200 pins that can individually raise and lower with 15mm of resolution. 

    Each pin is comprised of a block of wood that protrudes from the platform, a comb-shaped section that is used to move the pin, and a locking bar to prevent unintended movement. At the core of the device is the shape generator, and its job is to individually actuate each pin. This is accomplished by moving row-by-row across the 60 rows to push or pull all of the pins within it via a timing belt and DC motor. There are 10 actuator modules in total that each contain an Arduino Nano, a regulator, two geared DC motors, a hall effect sensor, and a pair of magnets. The locking mechanism is controlled with an Arduino Uno and two servo drivers, and horizontal movements are done with an Uno as well and two microstepper controllers.

    The resulting terrain is quite spectacular, as this much granularity means really fine details can be replicated. When paired with the VR game, participants who were testing the device consistently rated their experience on the Elevate to be far better than simply playing in VR. 

    To learn more about this project, check out the video below and the team’s paper here.

    [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G4n-WHrbPiU?feature=oembed&w=500&h=281]

    Website: LINK

  • TiltChair is a smart office chair that will help reduce the strain of sitting all day

    TiltChair is a smart office chair that will help reduce the strain of sitting all day

    Reading Time: 2 minutes

    Arduino TeamMay 18th, 2021

    While designing and building projects, we probably find ourselves sitting far longer than we should, which poses a problem. Bad posture leads to all sorts of health issues, including back pain, limited circulation, and even headaches. A team of students at Tohoku University in Japan wanted to fix this by creating a new type of office chair, dubbed the TiltChair, that is able to dynamically adjust the user’s seating position. This helps to minimize strain on the body from prolonged sitting. 

    The TiltChair system uses an Arduino Uno that communicates with an MPU-6050 IMU to measure the current inclination of the seat. Additionally, a BME280 pressure sensor monitors if someone is occupying the chair. To tilt the seat, the Uno employs a pair of servos that both regulate an air compressor to inflate an air bladder, thus pushing up the upper plate, or activating a vacuum pump to lower the angle. From this setup, the seat can move up to 55 degrees!

    The researchers then conducted two studies to find out just how well the seat works. In their first experiment, they had 12 participants perform a text-typing task at a desk. During this, the seat would move between nine different angles, and their resulting efficiency would be recorded. In the second test, they wanted to know which rates were best for inflating the seat, so using the same participants, the seat adjusted from 5 deg/min all the way up to 80 deg/min. As expected, the lower rates and angles were better for the users. But the chair also encouraged them to move around a bit more and sit up straighter, thereby achieving the initial goal. 

    You can learn more about the TiltChair in the video below as well as in the team’s published paper.

    [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EuBmw3hVEuM?feature=oembed&w=500&h=281]

    Website: LINK

  • This DIY shuttle mission control box looks like a blast!

    This DIY shuttle mission control box looks like a blast!

    Reading Time: 2 minutes

    Arduino TeamMay 13th, 2021

    Becoming an astronaut is probably one of the top careers on any child’s list, but it’s not all that practical, especially when they’re still seven years old. That’s why Gordon Callison wanted to create a virtual shuttle mission control game that simulates a space shuttle launch with tons of different features for his kid to use. 

    The project he made is composed of many different panels that compose a box with three main surfaces that display/control various aspects of the shuttle’s journey. These include pre-flight checks on the right, launching the shuttle in the middle, and telemetry displays on the right. The whole thing fits neatly into a briefcase, but don’t let that relatively small size mislead you- it’s packed with plenty of LEDs and buttons. To control all of these, Gordon went with an Arduino Mega, along with a couple of shift registers for toggling a bank of 32 LEDs on and off. Sound effects can also be played through an Uno and Adafruit Sound Board whenever the shuttle takes off or is done orbiting. 

    This system is a great showcase of what is possible by just using a bunch of simpler components, and Callison plans on expanding it even more with a possible fourth panel to show mock interior data. More details on the mission control box can be found over on Instructables.

    Website: LINK

  • Slot machine piggy bank makes saving your coins more fun

    Slot machine piggy bank makes saving your coins more fun

    Reading Time: < 1 minute

    Arduino TeamMay 13th, 2021

    There’s really no joy in saving money until it comes time to spend it, of course. But in an effort to gamify things a bit, YouTuber “Max 3D Design” has come up with a beautiful slot machine that surely puts a spin on traditional piggy banks.

    The device itself was modeled in Fusion 360 and the fairly substantial design took a week of printing to produce. It features four LED matrices that rotate reel symbols, obscured by a thin film to make it appear as one display. Inside a screw conveyor system is used to transport coins, which eventually pop out of an opening at the end. This screw is actuated by a small stepper motor, and the gaming process is started by dropping a coin past a pair of wires under the control of an Arduino Uno.

    If you want to create your own slot machine bank, more details can be found in Max 3D Design’s video below. The best part? By leaving it out in your home and letting family and friends play with it, you’ll save more money in no time!

    [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TGJLv_yoUWk?feature=oembed&w=500&h=281]

    Website: LINK

  • NFCSense can detect the movement of objects using only NFC tags

    NFCSense can detect the movement of objects using only NFC tags

    Reading Time: 2 minutes

    Arduino TeamMay 11th, 2021

    NFC (Near-Field Communication) technology is generally used for identification, because NFC tags can carry a substantial amount of data, like a unique identifier or a text file, without a battery. But NFC readers are capable of reading tags quite quickly, which is a feature that is largely ignored. NFCSense, created by Rong-Hao Liang and Zengrong Guo, takes advantage of that read speed to measure the movement of objects.

    NFCSense only requires a computer, an Arduino Uno board, a cheap RC522-based NFC/RFID reader, and a few NFC tags. It works a lot like a Hall effect sensor by detecting the presence of an NFC tag and using that to calculate the motion of an object. For example, if you attach an NFC tag to the wheel of a bicycle, you can calculate the bicycle’s movement speed by counting how much time passes between moments that the tag is detectable.

    The advantage of using NFC, when compared to a Hall effect sensor and magnet, is that each tag is identifiable. That means that NFCSense can differentiate between individual tags. It can monitor the movement of a virtually unlimited number of objects or provide better resolution of singular objects. If the entire perimeter of a wheel were lined with NFC tags, NFCSense could recognize the rotational angle of the wheel at any given time. 

    Rong-Hao Liang and Zengrong Guo have made the NFCSense API open source, so you can experiment with it yourself.

    [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8eCY8QbDzgg?feature=oembed&w=500&h=281]

    Website: LINK

  • Arduino plays the Chrome Dinosaur Game on another Arduino

    Arduino plays the Chrome Dinosaur Game on another Arduino

    Reading Time: 2 minutes

    Arduino TeamMay 11th, 2021

    There has been a trend over the past few years to automate certain games using microcontrollers — especially mobile ones. But none are perhaps as popular as the Dinosaur Game that shows up whenever the Chrome browser lacks an Internet connection. The game is simple: just tap or click to make the little T-Rex jump over various obstacles. And even though Arduino projects already exist that play perfectly for you and run the game, what about combining the two? This exactly what Michael Klements did with his Arduino Uno that plays the dino game on another Uno.

    The game itself runs on an Uno with an LCD keypad shield stacked on top which displays the sprites and exposes a couple of buttons for player interactions. He got the code from a different project and loaded it. From here, there is the challenge of knowing when to press the button to make the dinosaur jump, as the cacti are spaced at random intervals along the field. So rather than doing anything fancy, he connected a photoresistor and an LED to an Arduino that detect the presence of cacti and actuate a servo motor accordingly. 

    You can see from his video that the system works quite well in this regard and was able to achieve a high score of 374. For more information about this project, check out Klements’ blog post

    [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7jlKua0sj0Y?feature=oembed&w=500&h=281]

    Website: LINK

  • This YouTuber created an Arduino-powered Luxo Jr.

    This YouTuber created an Arduino-powered Luxo Jr.

    Reading Time: < 1 minute

    Arduino TeamMay 7th, 2021

    YouTuber Allyson decided she wanted a real-life version of the Pixar lamp mascot, and actually made one in the video below. Her version uses a servo to raise the modified Luxo lamp up and down via the elbow joint, and another two servos to pan and tilt the shade like a wrist.

    The device is controlled by an Arduino Uno, along with a compact vision system. This allows the lamp assembly to move in pre-defined paths and even track objects. The new setup now employs an LED inside of a ping pong ball as the bulb. This can be turned on and off as a “clapper” through a sound sensor.

    It looks like a lot of fun so far, and perhaps we’ll see it develop further in the future!

    [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_yW5P49TVJ8?feature=oembed&w=500&h=281]

    Website: LINK

  • Building a low-cost flow meter for environmental monitoring projects

    Building a low-cost flow meter for environmental monitoring projects

    Reading Time: 2 minutes

    Arduino TeamApril 30th, 2021

    Scientific equipment is notoriously expensive, and for schools, there are often monopolies on which suppliers can provide it. Eben Farnworth wanted to do something about this problem. His design for an open flow meter only costs around $60 USD, which pales in comparison to the typical price tag of $1,000.  

    Flow meters are great tools to measure how quickly a liquid (typically water or air) passes through a certain area. By using a propeller inside of an enclosure with a known diameter, the amount of liquid per unit of time can be calculated, along with how fast it is going. Farnworth’s design employs a DN80 water sensor, an Arduino Uno, and a 2.4″ TFT touchscreen.

    The case houses all the electronics plus a battery for power. Then at the bottom of the device is a port for plugging in the flow sensor itself. After a bit of calibration, Farnworth was able to get the display to show the flow of a river with impressive accuracy.

    [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3bD7QupxAmI?feature=oembed&w=500&h=281]

    To read more about how this flow meter was engineered, check out Farnworth’s project write-up.

    Website: LINK

  • Arduino-controlled gas mixing device fills DIY laser tubes

    Arduino-controlled gas mixing device fills DIY laser tubes

    Reading Time: 2 minutes

    Arduino TeamApril 28th, 2021

    Lasers come in two varieties: solid-state and gas tube. As the name suggests, the latter types contain gas. That is a mixture of gas in precise proportions. To fill his DIY laser tube, Cranktown City built an Arduino-controlled gas mixer.

    This device has an Arduino Uno board that drives three relay modules. The first relay switches power to a gas pump, the second relay controls an output valve, and the third relay controls an input valve. A push button starts the pumping process. The pump turns on and the input valve opens. Gas from a storage tank is pumped into an inflatable bag. Once the bag is full, as detected by a limit switch, the two valves flip and the gas pumps into the laser tube.

    Cranktown City knows the exact volume of the inflatable bag, so he knows how much gas has been pumped into the laser tube each time the device runs. Like mixing a cocktail, this lets him “pour” each part of the gas mixture into the laser tube until he ends up with the correct proportions.

    The gas pump, Arduino, relays, and inflatable bag are all enclosed within a heavy duty case made from steel sheet cut on a plasma table. The resulting mixer is portable and robust enough to stand up to abuse of a shop environment. With this device, Cranktown City can continue with developing his DIY laser tube — a project we can’t wait to see completed.

    [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ax7xlcFS2QY?feature=oembed&w=500&h=281]

    Website: LINK

  • Playing Connect Four against a mini golfing AI opponent

    Playing Connect Four against a mini golfing AI opponent

    Reading Time: 2 minutes

    Arduino TeamApril 27th, 2021

    Have you dreamed of combining the two incredible activities putt-putt and Connect Four together into the same game? Well one daring maker set out to do just that. Bithead’s innovative design involves a mini golf surface with seven holes at the end corresponding to the columns. The system can keep track of where each golf ball is with an array of 42 color sensors that are each connected to one of seven I2C multiplexers, all leading to a single Arduino Uno

    The player can select from six distinct levels of AI, all the way from random shots in the dark to Q Learning, which records previous game-winning moves to improve how it plays over time. It can putt by first loading a golf ball into a chamber and then spinning up a pair of high-RPM motors that launch it. For the human player, there is a pair of dispensers on the left that give the correct color of ball. 

    The entire system runs on an Intel NUC that hosts the game which was written in C#. There’s a large 22″ touchscreen at the front that is mounted at eye-level for easy interactions. Although it took Bithead nearly 18 months and $3,500, the end result is spectacular.

    Be sure to check out his great write-up, which has a couple of demonstration videos and a build log. 

    [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bNr9LnOZDd4?feature=oembed&w=500&h=281]

    Website: LINK

  • Allen Pan’s Arduino-controlled microwave only works while gaming

    Allen Pan’s Arduino-controlled microwave only works while gaming

    Reading Time: 2 minutes

    Allen Pan’s Arduino-controlled microwave only works while gaming

    Arduino TeamApril 26th, 2021

    Microwave ovens have been the peak of convenient cooking since the 1960s, and nobody appreciates that convenience more than gamers. Normally you would microwave some pizza rolls between Call of Duty death matches, but Allen Pan decided to make gaming a more integral part of the cooking process for his most recent project.

    This is a microwave oven that will only cook food while an attached game console is in use. That console is a generic all-in-one handheld with many built-in games, most of which are knock-offs or in the public domain. If a Hot Pocket requires three minutes of microwave cooking, then Pan has to play one of those games for a full three minutes or risk biting into an icy center.

    Pan used an Arduino Uno board to monitor a microphone placed in front of the console’s speaker. The console only outputs audio while a game is in play, so this was a reliable way to determine if the user is actively playing or if they have walked away.

    If the Arduino detects sound, then it will turn on a relay in the microwave oven. Pan hardwired the microwave oven so that any time it receives power, the microwave emitter will run. All Pan needs to do is pop some food in the microwave and start playing a game. So long as his thumbs don’t get tired, he can heat up whatever treat he craves.

    [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YL1oNetXj6Y?feature=oembed&w=500&h=281]

    Website: LINK

  • This auto-adjusting PVC system lifts hand sanitizer to the perfect height

    This auto-adjusting PVC system lifts hand sanitizer to the perfect height

    Reading Time: < 1 minute

    Arduino TeamApril 12th, 2021

    You’ve probably seen hand sanitizer stations popping up all over the place. While this seems to be a good thing, if you’re not exactly average height-wise, it’s likely they weren’t exactly designed for you. As a way to help both tall and short, and especially kids whose height varies considerably, Jegatheesan Soundarapandian has come up with an auto-adjustable stand.

    The device, which is made from PVC pipe, measures your size using an ultrasonic sensor. A platform is then pulled into position via a stepper motor and string, under the control of an Arduino Uno and CNC shield. This presents you with hand sanitizer (or whatever else is needed) at a level customized just for you.

    Code and plenty of additional information is available in Soundarapandiann’s Instructables post, along with a simple “bonus” contactless dispenser module build.

    Website: LINK