Missed out on your chance to download Flappy Bird? It’s okay. You can just make a DIY box version of the same game. It looks way more fun. That’s what Fawn Qiu did. She made an IRL version of Flappy Bird using an Arduino sensor, two servo motors, a reed switch and magnets. Oh and of course the box where it all happens.
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We’ve seen a handful of unique analog digital clocks, but the Plotclock has to be the most unusual of the bunch. It’s also a metaphor for a dozen sad things. Made by Thingiverse member joo, Plotclock writes the time by hand, then erases what it just wrote so it can write again.
Joo used an Arduino Uno, three servos and 3D printed components to make the clock. Though I strongly suspect that he also added a liter of sighs, a patch of wrinkled skin and some shredded tax forms to the device.
This clock knows life’s a waste of time. Check out joo’s page on Thingiverse for more on the futility of it all.
[via I Heart Chaos]
If you’re in danger of overspending every time you reach for your wallet, then the iBag might just be the thing you need. It’s an interactive wallet of sorts that seals itself shut in order to prevent its owner from spending money on non-essential stuff.
The iBag is dubbed as a “smart purse” that comes built with an Arduino processor and a real-time clock. The clock comes into factor as the bag uses that as the basis for sealing shut: at times when the shopper has been deemed to overspend, the bag can no longer be opened.
Finder.com.au’s iBag prototype has been designed to physically deter shoppers from accessing their wallets. The purse is also equipped with a GPS chip and LED lights that flash when a shopper gets too close to his or her favourite shops, or, as the company puts it: ‘when you’re entering a danger spending zone.’
RFID modules on the bag detect whenever the wallet leaves the purse, and a GSM module alerts someone about the shopper’s overspending habits (or tendency) as it happens.
You can find more information about the iBag here.
[via Geekologie]
A while back we featured a robot vehicle that was made to be driven by a parrot. This one’s meant for fishes. Image recognition specialist Studio diip made Fish on Wheels to showcase its prowess in its field. The vehicle moves by following the movement of the fish inside the tank.
A webcam positioned above the tank feeds video to a Beagleboard, which analyzes the position of the fish by contrasting the animal’s body with the bottom of the tank. The instructions are then sent to the vehicle itself, which is powered by an Arduino.
This summer, watch as Nemo is awakened from cryogenic sleep in 2099 to search for the remains of Wall-E under the ocean and use it to beat the tyrannical ruler Lightning McQueen in Finding Nemo 2: Cars 2: Wall-E 2: Judgment Day.
[via Studio diip via prosthetic knowledge]
Adriá García of DIYMakers augmented a Wall-E toy by making it work with voice commands and giving it the means to move on its own and avoid obstacles. It doesn’t compact garbage or collect curios, but at least it can dance.
Adriá used an Arduino Uno as Wall-E’s new brain. Two infrared proximity sensors help the toy detect obstacles, actuators move its arms and head and two continuous servo motors power its tracks. Adriá used the EasyVR module for voice recognition.
AUTO, navigate to DIYMakers for more details on Adriá’s mod.
[via BonjourLife]
If you are the type who loves to go shopping, then I am quite sure that you would either need to have a seemingly bottomless bank account to enjoy your shopping experience, or draw your reserves from your savings. How about getting a tool that might help you avoid overspending? This is what the iBag is all about, as this prototype carryall works by locking you out should it have reasonable grounds to “believe” that you are about to splurge – and splurge big. This Arduino-powered bag will be able to automatically shuts itself tight during those moments when you are most likely going to shop.
iBag Might Prevent You From Splurging When You Go Shopping original content from Ubergizmo. 
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A small robotics company called UFactory is working on the uArm, a small version of the industrial robot arms we often see tirelessly moving about in modern manufacturing assembly lines. The uArm is about the size of a desk lamp and is controlled through an Arduino-compatible board.
The current build of the uArm is made largely out of laser cut wood or acrylic and uses four off-the-shelf servo motors. It also has three different “hands”: a gripper, a suction cup and a small circular platform.
uFactory currently has a Windows program that lets you control the robot through a mouse or a keyboard. They’re currently working on Android and iOS apps too.
The company also wrote an Arduino library for uArm, so if you’re familiar with the language you can program the robot through that as well.
uFactory promises to make its design files, hardware and software open source after its Kickstarter campaign ends.
Pledge at least $185 (USD) on Kickstarter to get a uArm assembly kit as a reward. I’m waiting for Iron Man fans to reenact this scene with their armored pets.
[via Gadgetify]
DIY enthusiasts that make things that require electronics and software to operate will be familiar with the Arduino platform. That platform can be used to make just about anything you … Continue reading
One of inventor Steve Hoefer’s favorite creations is his knock-activated lock: a lock that only opens if you enter the correct knock sequence. Steve says he’s built the lock a dozen times. Instead of becoming increasingly complex, his latest build is actually easier to put together compared to its predecessors, thanks to a couple of Adafruit products.
This build uses Adafruit’s piezoelectric sensor, solenoid lock and mini microcontroller. You can install the lock on any wooden drawer or door that’s at least 2 1/4″ deep. Once installed, you simply record your secret knock, and the device now knows to only unlock if the same knock is repeated.
Knock twice on your browser and head to the Adafruit blog for Steve’s instructions, parts list and Arduino code.
[via Boing Boing]
A couple of months ago we found out how Redditor dekuNukem hacked his Nintendo 3DS to automatically hunt for shiny Pokémon in Pokémon X/Y. It turns out he built on that hack and drastically improved it. His new hack, which he calls Poké-O-Matic, not only hunts for shiny Pokémon, it also hatches eggs and does all the other time-consuming tasks associated with hatching.
The Poké-O-Matic is powered by two microcontrollers an Arduino Micro and a Teensy 3.0. dekuNukem switches between his hack’s functions with a push of a button.
As I mentioned, Poké-O-Matic can hatch eggs on its own. That includes biking back and forth to pass the time until his Pokémon at the Day Care Center produce an egg, then retrieving said egg, then walking back and forth until said egg hatches. Then Poké-O-Matic deposits the hatched monster into his PC and repeats the cycle. It can even release Pokémon if his deposit boxes become full.
As before, dekuNukem’s hack can also catch shiny on the field by entering battles repeatedly. It can do so on water…
…on land…
…and even against hordes by using the Sweet Scent skill.
So far so good for the lazy gamer, right? But dekuNukem’s Poké-O-Matic has one more ability, one that is straight up cheating. It takes advantage of the trading glitch in the game to clone Pokémon. It doesn’t work all the time, but dekuNukem himself seems to regret putting this mode. It’s bar none the quickest way to get a shiny, and therefore ruins the monsters’ value.
With all three methods – endless hatching, brute force catching and cloning – it’s no surprise that dekuNukem now has a ton of shiny Pokémon.
Watch his video for the full details and demo. Be sure to turn annotations on so you can read dekuNukem’s explanation.
You can download the Poké-O-Matic program from dekuNukem’s Dropbox, but he recommends that you streamline it further as it’s a mess as-is. As for the merit of this hack, I think this will only cheapen shinies for anyone who uses the hack. As with many things, if you’re not the one who earned it, you probably won’t appreciate its value. But I still admire dekuNukem’s skill and ingenuity for building Poké-O-Matic. The man practically invented a gamer, albeit one that’s a cold-blooded cheater.
[via GoNintendo]
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