Schlagwort: Uno

  • This Arduino-powered robot is like a Roomba with a paintbrush

    This Arduino-powered robot is like a Roomba with a paintbrush

    Reading Time: 2 minutes

    This Arduino-powered robot is like a Roomba with a paintbrush

    Arduino TeamNovember 16th, 2020

    Can robots paint? More specifically, can they create art? The second question is, of course, open for debate, but Technovation’s robotic build shows that they can indeed wield a paintbrush.

    The device, shaped vaguely like a Roomba vacuum cleaner, uses a pair of NEMA 17 motors for movement and a third to rotate a sort of brush turret. A servo attached to the pivoting arm positions a brush up and down, dipping it into paint, and bringing it to the drawing surface as needed.

    Control is via an Arduino Uno with a CNC shield. The project is capable of producing art randomly, or be programmed to execute pre-defined patterns.

    You can see in action in the video below, while instructions to make your own are available in Technovation’s tutorial.

    [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mNXugUfmn28?feature=oembed&w=500&h=281]

    Website: LINK

  • Draw on bottles using a CNC plotter made from old printer rollers and other scraps

    Draw on bottles using a CNC plotter made from old printer rollers and other scraps

    Reading Time: 2 minutes

    Draw on bottles using a CNC plotter made from old printer rollers and other scraps

    Arduino TeamNovember 12th, 2020

    To label used bottles that would otherwise go to waste, “tuenhidiy” created a CNC plotter that itself consists mostly of scraps!

    The machine’s X and Z axes are formed out of a pair of old CD/DVD players, but instead of a traditional Y axis, it actuates two printer rollers to turn a bottle forwards or backwards. This allows the marking pen to be placed in just the right axial position, while still being very similar to a fully Cartesian (XYZ) plotter controls-wise.

    Everything is powered by GRBL running on an Arduino Uno, which interfaces with its four steppers via a CNC shield and A4988 driver modules. Build info is available in tuenhidiy’s write-up, and you also check it out in the video below.

    [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rRHOq8oxpGU?feature=oembed&w=500&h=281]

    Website: LINK

  • An old-school “neon” sign made with LEDs

    An old-school “neon” sign made with LEDs

    Reading Time: 2 minutes

    An old-school “neon” sign made with LEDs

    Arduino TeamNovember 5th, 2020

    Can you make an Arduino-controlled neon sign? While certainly possible, such a setup would involve working with rather high voltages, and the skill to shape glass tubing. As an easier alternative, Max Danilin (who also goes by “gabbapeople”) created an animated pub display using lengths of LED strips made to look like old-school neon tubes.

    Although such tubes don’t quite have the same glow as their true neon counterparts, shaping segments was a matter of arranging them on a wooden backing with nails for support. Everything is powered by an Arduino Uno, programmed using the XOD IDE. This activates different LED segments via a pair of eight-channel MOSFET switch arrays.

    In action, the word “SALOON” lights up, and a picture of a cowgirl winks and lifts her drink. More details on this impressive project can be found in Danilin’s Instructables post.

    [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zmeLh06xB2E?feature=oembed&w=500&h=281]

    [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t6zGR22zTOM?feature=oembed&w=500&h=281]

    Website: LINK

  • Pump and Surf uses an air pump to ‘manually’ surf the web

    Pump and Surf uses an air pump to ‘manually’ surf the web

    Reading Time: 2 minutes

    Pump and Surf uses an air pump to ‘manually’ surf the web

    Arduino TeamNovember 3rd, 2020

    Everyday you likely visit websites like this one, browsing the content without giving much thought to how it gets to your eyeballs. Of course there is plenty technology required throughout this process, but how much energy does all this equipment consume?

    As a hands-on (or foot-on) demonstration of the energy involved, ECAL’s Aurélien Pellegrini created Pump and Surf, which makes you pump the equivalent of the energy needed to load the webpage.

    The device utilizes an air pump, with a pressure sensor to take readings via an Arduino Uno that interfaces with your computer. A special Chrome extension calculates the energy necessary to pull up a particular page, forcing you to put in the equal amount of physical effort to display the site in its original form.

    Website: LINK

  • Researchers propose a coil spring-based soft actuator using two flexible ultrasonic motors

    Researchers propose a coil spring-based soft actuator using two flexible ultrasonic motors

    Reading Time: < 1 minute

    Researchers propose a coil spring-based soft actuator using two flexible ultrasonic motors

    Arduino TeamNovember 3rd, 2020

    Researchers Yunosuke Sato, Ayato Kanada, and Tomoaki Mashimo have developed a novel continuum (snake) robot actuator that can flex and sense its position with twin coil spring assemblies. Each uses a couple of piezoelectric actuators to induce ultrasonic vibrations on a stator block, pushing the spring inside forwards or backwards. When combined, the springs can advance together, or twist left and right when lengths are varied.

    Extension sensing is accomplished via voltage feedback through the springs, allowing its Arduino Uno-based experimental setup to determined each position with no extra equipment. With this data, the curvature angle of the two springs together can be calculated, and while the “snake” now works in two dimensions, perhaps such a system could be used with another spring for full 3D control!

    [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c7sTVg_7zi8?feature=oembed&w=500&h=281]

    For more information, the team’s research paper is available here.

    Website: LINK

  • Transform a pile of clothing into the robot of your nightmares

    Transform a pile of clothing into the robot of your nightmares

    Reading Time: 2 minutes

    Transform a pile of clothing into the robot of your nightmares

    Arduino TeamOctober 26th, 2020

    While whatever you heard bump in the night was probably nothing to be concerned about, if you see a suspicious blob of clothing on the floor, you might give it another look. Although not particularly dangerous, YouTuber “Sciencish” has come up with a robot that causes a pile of clothes to turn and face, then travel towards the light source you used to check it out.

    The device features four photoresistors, along with an Arduino Uno and two steppers on a robotic chassis for movement. It also accommodates a filament or wire frame on which clothing can rest. When a light is shined at it, the LDRs pick up this “signal” through the clothes. The robot then waits until the lights are off, pauses a bit more, and then rotates to face the person and incrementally advances.

    It’s a terrifying idea, and something that could be implemented in many forms, such as the Minecraft spider disguise Sciencish made for it out of cardboard — perfect for some Halloween fun!

    [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HtD9XxNFDxI?feature=oembed&w=500&h=281]

    Website: LINK

  • Driving a mini RC bumper car with a Nintendo Wii Balance Board

    Driving a mini RC bumper car with a Nintendo Wii Balance Board

    Reading Time: 2 minutes

    Driving a mini RC bumper car with a Nintendo Wii Balance Board

    Arduino TeamOctober 23rd, 2020

    Taking inspiration from Colin Furze’s 600cc bumper car constructed a few years ago, Henry Forsyth decided to build his own RC miniature version. His device features a 3D-printed and nicely-painted body, along with a laser-cut chassis that holds the electrical components.

    The vehicle is driven by a single gearmotor and a pair of 3D-printed wheels, with another caster-style wheel that’s turned left and right by a servo steering. An Arduino Uno and Bluetooth shield are used for overall control with a motor driver.

    The Bluetooth functionality allows for user interface via a PS4 controller, or even (after a bit of programming) a Wii Balance Board. In the end, the PS4 remote seems to be the better control option, but who knows where else this type of balance technique could be employed?

    [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JfjPqZ6sY9s?feature=oembed&w=500&h=281]

    Website: LINK

  • S.H.I.E.L.D. yourself from unwanted mic and camera access

    S.H.I.E.L.D. yourself from unwanted mic and camera access

    Reading Time: < 1 minute

    S.H.I.E.L.D. yourself from unwanted mic and camera access

    Arduino TeamOctober 19th, 2020

    If you haven’t heard, a lot of us are working from home these days, making mic and camera discipline more important than ever. To help avoid unwanted recording, Tovi Levis created the S.H.I.E.L.D. device, which stands for Software and Hardware for Invisible Eavesdroppers and Lurkers Detection.

    This amply-named project uses an Arduino Uno to control a pair of WS2812B lights mounted to the top of your computer monitor. Lights shine through acrylic icons of a microphone and camera, with red indicating “on” and green for “off” and safe. There is also a buzzer to note status changes.

    The S.H.I.E.L.D. communicates with the host PC over USB, which runs a companion monitoring app that can be used independently as well. More details are available on GitHub, and a demo/explanation can be seen in Levis’ video below.

    [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FTn1oHqCWCM?feature=oembed&w=500&h=281]

    Website: LINK

  • DIY quadruped robot brought to life for under $60

    DIY quadruped robot brought to life for under $60

    Reading Time: 2 minutes

    DIY quadruped robot brought to life for under $60

    Arduino TeamOctober 10th, 2020

    Animals like dogs, cats, raccoons, rhinoceroses, and many more get around on four legs. To help imitate this natural phenomenon, maker “Technovation” decided to create a low-cost quadruped robot using 12 servo motors and a variety of 3D-printed and laser-cut parts.

    Each leg features two servos that move inline with the body, as well as one arranged with its rotation axis at 90 degrees. This enables it to walk forward, scoot side-to-side, and perform a variety of twisting motions.

    The robot is powered by an Arduino Uno, along with a sensor shield for easy motor connections. Inverse kinematics can be used to properly calculate servo moves, which is integrated into the device’s control sketch.

    Check it out in action in the video below, and specifics are available in Technovation’s write-up.

    [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AoXK8bL9ubc?feature=oembed&w=500&h=281]

    Website: LINK

  • Building a cheap and easy nanosheet machine

    Building a cheap and easy nanosheet machine

    Reading Time: < 1 minute

    Building a cheap and easy nanosheet machine

    Arduino TeamOctober 9th, 2020

    Chemist Biljana Mojsoska at Roskilde University in Denmark has been working on nanosheets, an anti-bacterial coating for medical surfaces. During her research, a piece of expensive equipment failed, causing Jakub Klust and Bo Thorning at FabLab RUC to attempt to replace the machine with rapid prototyping techniques.

    What they came up with turns sample vials using a servo motor, controlled by an Arduino Uno. Buttons and an encoder form the user interface, with a small display for feedback. Mojsoska’s research involves rotating vials of the coating for days at a time, so the unit must be reliable, and gear reduction on the servo is implemented to prevent excessive vibration throughout the process.

    You can read more about the project in FabLab RUC’s blog post, while design specifics are available on GitHub.

    Website: LINK

  • Light painting with a gesture-controlled drone

    Light painting with a gesture-controlled drone

    Reading Time: < 1 minute

    Light painting with a gesture-controlled drone

    Arduino TeamOctober 9th, 2020

    Researchers at the Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology (Skoltech) in Moscow, Russia have come up with a novel way to interface with a drone via hand movements.

    As shown in the video below, the device can be used to create long-exposure light art, though the possibilities for such an intuitive control system could extend to many other applications as well.

    In this setup, a small Crazieflie 2.0 quadcopter is operated by a glove-like wearable featuring an Arduino Uno, along with an IMU and flex sensor for user input, and an XBee module for wireless communication. The controller connects to a base station running a machine learning algorithm that matches the user’s gestures to pre-defined letters or pattern, and directs the drone to light paint them. 

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

    The team’s full research paper is available here.

    Website: LINK

  • This Arduino-powered clock tells time in colors

    This Arduino-powered clock tells time in colors

    Reading Time: 2 minutes

    This Arduino-powered clock tells time in colors

    Arduino TeamOctober 7th, 2020

    As humans, we’ve divided time up into 24 hours per day, 60 minutes per hour, and 60 seconds per minute. With many of us now working from home on differing schedules, time may seem a bit less concrete than before, like something that fades from one part of the day to another.

    To express this new reality, e14 Presents’ Matt Eargle has constructed a clock that cycles through “every” color in the rainbow, subbing in a scaled version of the HH:MM:SS time value for RGB values on a 5” LCD TFT display.

    The build is powered by an Arduino Uno with an RTC module for accurate timekeeping. The resulting color panel is quite interesting, if not so useful for, say, catching a train. If you do need to be punctual for something, the actual digits are shown along the side, so it should still be usable when things are (hopefully) a bit more normal.

    [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jtvV1r_LD4U?feature=oembed&w=500&h=281]

    In the socially-distanced, work-from-home apocalypse of Southern California, clocks have become obsolete as time has become essentially meaningless. After months of no longer using an alarm clock, Matt has missed the simple act of checking the time — even for curiosity’s sake — and decides to build a clock that measures the passage of time in a completely novel way: by converting hours, minutes, and seconds into hexadecimal values and displaying the relative color value associated with that time. It’s certainly not the most practical chronometer in the world, but this hexadecimal color code clock proves that form doesn’t always have to follow function!

    Website: LINK

  • This interactive screen slides smoothly from side to side

    This interactive screen slides smoothly from side to side

    Reading Time: < 1 minute

    This interactive screen slides smoothly from side to side

    Arduino TeamSeptember 29th, 2020

    When you need to grab someone’s attention at an event, an interactive screen is a good idea. MakerMan, however, went several steps beyond this, creating an installation with a bank of static screens that depict the Moscow skyline. In front of this, a single touch-enabled display moves back and forth automatically to present information on various points of interest.

    Sliding action is handled by a large stepper motor, which pulls the screen along on a carriage assembly. The motor, in turn, is controlled via an Arduino Uno and a stepper driver. All of these electronics are hidden behind a nicely painted wooden facade, letting the technology driving it fade elegantly into the background.

    [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cp7Tq-6iAvg?feature=oembed&w=500&h=281]

    Website: LINK

  • This Arduino-controlled soft robot gets around like an earthworm

    This Arduino-controlled soft robot gets around like an earthworm

    Reading Time: < 1 minute

    This Arduino-controlled soft robot gets around like an earthworm

    Arduino TeamSeptember 28th, 2020

    After studying the way a worm wiggles, Nicholas Lauer decided to create his own soft robotic version. What he came up with uses an Arduino Uno for control, inflating six 3D-printed segments sequentially to order to generate peristaltic motion for forward movement.

    The robotic worm uses a 12V mini diaphragm pump to provide inflation air, while a series of transistors and solenoid valves directly regulate the airflow into the chambers.

    The build looks pretty wild in the video below, and per Lauer’s write-up, you’re encouraged to experiment to see what kind of timing produces the most expedient motion. Code, STLs, and a detailed BOM are available on GitHub.

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

    Website: LINK

  • Learning Greek with an arcade-style vocabulary reviewer

    Learning Greek with an arcade-style vocabulary reviewer

    Reading Time: 2 minutes

    Learning Greek with an arcade-style vocabulary reviewer

    Arduino TeamSeptember 24th, 2020

    Learning a new language is always a challenge, but can also be extremely rewarding. To help with this task — specifically learning Greek — Angeliki Beyko created an arcade-style review machine. Her device cleverly uses a sheet of pegboard to hold the electronics, including seven LCD screens to indicate category, level, and the actual Greek word being reviewed.

    Possible answers are shown as pictures on four TFT displays, driven by four separate Arduino Uno boards that pull up pictures stored on SD cards. An Arduino Mega provides overall control for the interactive panel.

    While ambitious, and a definite learning process, there’s currently some memory limitations and an issue with the screens not working when actually mounted. So as of now, it’s something of a work-in-progress, but Beyko is planning to complete the build with version two. More details are available in the project write-up and code can be found on GitHub.

    Website: LINK

  • Making a random sound diffuser with Arduino

    Making a random sound diffuser with Arduino

    Reading Time: < 1 minute

    Making a random sound diffuser with Arduino

    Arduino TeamSeptember 23rd, 2020

    Humans are generally quite bad at coming up with random patterns, so when Jeremy Cook wanted to make a sound diffuser with angled blocks of wood, he created a “pseudorandomness console” using an Arduino Uno and an LCD shield.

    This helped him with the placement of its 216 angled segments, which are colored in one of four ways, and can face up, down, left, and right to theoretically scatter sound in every direction.

    [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Liob_8zWv8k?feature=oembed&w=500&h=281]

    Code for this unique randomization is available on GitHub, with a quick explanation in the video above. You can see the final assembly at around the 4:38 mark, showing a process of applying glue, pressing a button to generate a value, and then placing triangles accordingly.

    Website: LINK

  • Convert an old cassette player into a synthesizer

    Convert an old cassette player into a synthesizer

    Reading Time: < 1 minute

    Convert an old cassette player into a synthesizer

    Arduino TeamSeptember 22nd, 2020

    Cassettes (if you remember those) are normally used to play back music and other audio, but what about using an old Walkman-style tape player as the instrument itself? That’s exactly what this project by Zack Scholl allows you to do, varying the playback speed to modify pitch output.

    It’s a very simple setup, requiring one to hook up wires that enable an Arduino Uno and MCP4725 DAC to adjust the speed using a voltage input. A drone sound is recorded on the tape, which may also involve some hacking depending on your equipment.

    [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LdBik_Zlwy0?feature=oembed&w=500&h=281]

    The Walkman then emits this recorded sound, which the Arduino — here using a keyboard and computer browser-based MIDI interface — modulates by increasing or decreasing the playback speed.

    Website: LINK

  • This Arduino-powered spectrophotometer uses a little prism to create rainbows

    This Arduino-powered spectrophotometer uses a little prism to create rainbows

    Reading Time: < 1 minute

    This Arduino-powered spectrophotometer uses a little prism to create rainbows

    Arduino TeamAugust 17th, 2020

    Invented back in the 1940s, a spectrophotometer is a scientific instrument used to measure how different wavelengths of light are absorbed by a sample. Daniel Hingston decided to build his own spectrum analysis device as a fun Arduino experiment, outlined in the project write-up and in the video below.

    Inside the 3D-printed device, a servo-driven rotating triangular prism assembly selectively shines parts of the color spectrum through a sample using an E10 filament bulb. Light that passes through the test tube is picked up by an LDR sensor, producing data for different spectral ranges. This info is sent along to a PC over serial, which can then be plotted in a spreadsheet for further analysis.

    [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vP9oaMI_R7s?feature=oembed&w=500&h=281]

    Website: LINK

  • Arduino X-ray imaging phantom simulates lung movement

    Arduino X-ray imaging phantom simulates lung movement

    Reading Time: < 1 minute

    Arduino X-ray imaging phantom simulates lung movement

    Arduino TeamAugust 5th, 2020

    Imaging phantoms are used to evaluate and test medical devices, such as X-ray machinery, where a human subject would be impractical and/or dangerous. In order to simulate the motion and deformation of a lung, Stefan Grimm created an Arduino-powered phantom at a materials cost of around $350 USD.

    Much of the project’s structure is printed with dissolvable PVA, used as a form for silicone that mimics tissue and plaster for bone. Movement is controlled via three linear and rotary actuator setups outlined here, and the structure can either be pre-programmed or manipulated in real-time using a USB cable and PC.

    You can see a simulation of the setup in the video below, tracking target objects as they move along with cylinders that represent respiratory motion.

    [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TincNP1mlLw?feature=oembed&w=500&h=375]

    Website: LINK

  • mOLOID is a pet like no other

    mOLOID is a pet like no other

    Reading Time: 2 minutes

    mOLOID is a pet like no other

    Arduino TeamAugust 4th, 2020

    As a part of their masters program at the University of Stuttgart, Jan Ingo Haller and Lorin Samija created a robotic pet that moves in a manner that may not be immediately evident. With the internals obscured by a cloth covering, the moving OLOID, or mOLOID, seems to roll from one vague lobe section to another like some sort of claymation creature.

    The mOLOID’s unique locomotion is due to an internal “oloid” structure, an arrangement of two circles at 90°. Two servos move weights around the perimeter of each circle to vary its center of gravity, causing it to flop back and forth.

    An Arduino Uno controls the mOLOID, which features a passive infrared sensor that allows it to react to the environment and an HC-05 Bluetooth module for user interface. A small speaker also provides audible feedback.

    [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5sccJcgrcis?feature=oembed&w=500&h=281]

    Corona has changed our lives: it requires us to physicially distance, which in turn leads to social distancing. So what could be a solution? Maybe a pet? But no, Corona comes from animals. Let’s save ourselves from another Corona 2.0. But if we have to keep away from humans (to not infect and not be infected) and animals but remain the social beings we are, what should we do?

    Have no despair! We have found a solution: the moving OLOID a.k.a. mOLOID. It combines interesting geometry (a bit nerdy but nerdy is trendy!) with many aspects of pets: it can make you smile, moves on its own, makes cute sounds and listens to you — at least most of the time.

    Website: LINK

  • Juuke is an Arduino-powered RFID music player for the elderly

    Juuke is an Arduino-powered RFID music player for the elderly

    Reading Time: 2 minutes

    Juuke is an Arduino-powered RFID music player for the elderly

    Arduino TeamAugust 1st, 2020

    While many of us take playing tunes for granted, whether via MP3s, CDs, or streaming services, for others — such as many that are very young or old — actually figuring out the interface can be a challenge. To make it easier for the elderly (and children) to enjoy music, Ananords and his girlfriend created the Juuke box.

    The Juuke features an RC522 RFID reader to trigger specific songs stored on an SD card via a DFPlayer Mini, using a stereo jack and external powered speakers. The device is controlled by an Arduino Uno, and includes a volume potentiometer along with two light-up buttons — red to play/pause tracks, green for random playback.

    Code for the project can be found on GitHub, with 3D print files, and the actual Fusion 360 files are also available if you’d like to build your own.

    [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Y1Psf6igHE?feature=oembed&w=500&h=281]

    Website: LINK

  • The PongMate CyberCannon Mark III is a surefire way to never lose at beer pong

    The PongMate CyberCannon Mark III is a surefire way to never lose at beer pong

    Reading Time: < 1 minute

    The PongMate CyberCannon Mark III is a surefire way to never lose at beer pong

    Arduino TeamJuly 31st, 2020

    If you participate in beer pong, and your skills aren’t up to the challenge, you might be in for a rough time. While “practice makes perfect,” if you’d rather shortcut this process then engineers Nils Opgenorth and Grant Galloway have just the solution with their Arduino-powered PongMate CyberCannon Mark III.

    This wrist-mounted launcher uses a time-of-flight sensor, along with an inertial measurement unit to calculate the vertical and horizontal distance to the red Solo cup, marked with a small laser. Bubble levels help users fix the device in the horizontal direction and five programmable RGB LEDs indicate when it’s ready to shoot.

    [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2MqsEeeZoFE?feature=oembed&w=500&h=281]

    To fire, it pushes a ball forward using a small servo, which is then flung out using a pair of spinning wheels. Distance is set by varying the speed of driving motors, in order create the appropriate shot velocity.

    Website: LINK