We expect our devices to know what’s going on. Automatic doors, smartphones, temperature control systems and beyond all perform actions when they detect certain conditions. And it seems like it would just be convenient to put cameras on everything so devices could have eyes on all different situations. It would also be creepy, but we’ll leave that aside for now.
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In photography, we have access to an unlimited palette of colors. But how good of a photographer are you, really? What can you do with just one?
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Computers and sensors are quickly decreasing in cost and size, making it easier than ever before to build smart gadgets or robots. From accelerometers to thermal sensors, electronics nowadays can detect and record a variety of events and objects in their surroundings. Here’s one more sensor to add to your robot overlord-in-training. It’s called Pixy, a camera that identifies objects through color.
Pixy was made by Charmed Labs and embedded systems experts from Carnegie Mellon University. It’s actually the team’s fifth version of a smart and low-cost vision sensor, which they previously called the CMUcam. What separates the Pixy from other image sensors is that it only sends a small amount of data and it has its own microprocessor. These traits make it possible to integrate the Pixy even to microcontrollers like the Arduino.
Pixy identifies objects using “a hue-based color filtering algorithm”, which supposedly makes it consistent under different lighting conditions. It can also identify hundreds of objects at once. The image below is a screenshot of PixyMon, an open source debugging program for Pixy.
As you’ll see in the video below, Pixy can also track moving objects. That’s because it updates once every 20ms, fast enough to keep up with an object moving at 30mph. You can then gather Pixy’s data through UART serial, SPI, I2C, digital out, or analog out.
Pixy can be taught to “remember” up to seven different objects, but you can expand its memory by using color codes. Color codes are simply stickers or strips of paper with two or more different colors. Color codes increase Pixy’s color-coded encyclopedia from seven to several thousands.
Pledge at least $59 (USD) on Kickstarter to get a Pixy and an Arduino cable as a reward.
What will you build with Pixy? A security camera that texts you when your cat goes out? A color-seeking water bomb? A clown-loving machine? A drone that follows you around? A box of crayons that can tell you what color you picked? A weapon that works only on people wearing red? A LEGO sorter that can tell you which pieces are missing from your collection? A camera that automatically takes pictures of the sunset? A wearable assistant for colorblind people? A ticker that counts which Premier League referee hands out the most yellow cards? A useless machine that won’t turn itself off if you’re wearing the right color? Are the things I’m saying even possible?
Last week, you showed off your monochrome skills in classic silver. This week, you’ll take a photo in a different way: Find a scene that’s predominantly one color, and capture that color to its fullest.
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I’m a big fan of the HTC One. It’s one of the best Android smartphones made to date, combining an awesome display, great camera, a fast CPU and GPU, and excellent build quality. But if you buy one, you’ve been able to get it in bare aluminum (or a hard to find black). Now, thanks to a deal with Sprint, the HTC One is now available in a lovely shade of red.
And they haven’t just painted the case red or snapped on a plastic back. This is still an all metal case, just like the original HTC One. Sprint is offering the exclusive new Red HTC One at this link for $199.99(USD) – and if you buy one by August 29th, you’ll get a second HTC One free. Naturally, the deal assumes you’ll sign up for a two-year phone contract for each device.
If red isn’t your thing, rumor has it that Verizon will be outing an exclusive blue version by the end of the month as well.
Have you ever wondered how a fossil hailing from 40 million years ago still maintains its original color, while dyed garments fade in years? The answer lies in the molecular structure of these natural colors—and new research is showing how they could breed a new generation of artificial ones.
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If you are at all interested in design or art, enlighten yourself with one of the most important books on color ever written. It’s called The Interaction of Color, and now you can experience it on your iPad.
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What’s a modular sensor without modules? The folks behind Node have released the iPhone peripheral’s fifth end cap, the NODE+chroma, a sensor that scans colors, transmitting that data to your handset via Bluetooth 4.0. The $99 add-on features white LED light, capturing a reading in around a second, regardless of the influence of ambient light. You can pick up the new module over at Node’s site, along with climate, gas, thermometer sensors and an LED flashlight. And while you’re at it, you should probably pick up the $149 Node as well, or those sensors won’t be of much use.
Source: Node
You’d think a paint named “mummy brown” would be the product of good marketing. In fact, it dates back to the 16th century, when actual mummies were ground up and sold as paint. On Hyperallergic today, Allison Meier takes a look at the surprisingly riveting history of extinct pigments.
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Point your iPhone’s camera anywhere, and Kuler captures the dominant colors from your surroundings, then creates a palette for you to design with.
This is site is run by Sascha Endlicher, M.A., during ungodly late night hours. Wanna know more about him? Connect via Social Media by jumping to about.me/sascha.endlicher.
