Hasta La Gadget!

When Arduino unveiled a boatload of new products on Friday, we could have taken the easy route, posted the PR and called it a day. But, since the crew happened to be in town for Maker Faire, with a few folks from Atmel (makers of the AVR chip at the heart of the open source MCU) in tow, we figured why not go straight to the source. Arduino founder Massimo Banzi gave us a look at the company’s latest offerings: the ARM-powered Arduino Due, the low-cost Arduino Leonardo, and aptly-named Arduino WiFi, as well as a peek at some of the group’s upcoming plans. Keep on reading after the break for the juicy details.

Continue reading Arduino brings the (new) goods to Maker Faire New York, welcomes ARM into the fold

Arduino brings the (new) goods to Maker Faire New York, welcomes ARM into the fold originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 19 Sep 2011 09:45:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sometimes it’s the simplest questions that lead to the most important innovation — other times it’s more that they’re just plain fun to answer. Take the one asked by Grand Rapids, MI-artist, Sam Blanchard: what would the Wachowski Brothers’ bullet-time effect look like, were it shot on, say 20 Polaroids, instead of a room full of expensive digital devices? The answer, naturally, can be found in the Polaroid Matrix, a circle of cameras on display at Maker Faire in New York, this weekend. The Kickstarter success story arranges the cameras into a circle — a subject can be sat in the middle, or the cameras can be oriented outward, to take a panorama of the surrounding environment. Once the rig is fired up, the cameras make that familiar Polaroid warm up hum — times 20. The actual photographing happens almost in an instant, with 20 flashes. The photographer walks around the circle and collects 20 photos, which are bound into a photographic flipbook. Check out a video of the Polaroid Matrix in action, after the jump.

Continue reading Stepping into the Polaroid Matrix at Maker Faire (video)

Stepping into the Polaroid Matrix at Maker Faire (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 17 Sep 2011 20:17:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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‘Arduino: The Comic’ will teach you to stop worrying and love programming originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 16 Sep 2011 15:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Just like the Sn0wbreeze project, redsn0w recently added support for a tethered jailbreak of iOS 5 beta 6. While support for the iPad 2 still isn’t in the mix, the latest version — 0.9.8b7 — adds additional support for Apple’s latest beta on the original iPad, and the folks at Smash iPhone have provided a tutorial for those who move to the beat of a different drum. While redsn0w supports a tether-free solution for iOS 4.3.3, if you want to partake in Cupertino’s freshest fruits, you’ll be required to connect your phone or tablet to your computer whenever you power up the device. Also, while download links for iOS 4.3.5 and 4.2.10 are in the tutorial, if you’re not a developer, it’ll be on you to scrounge up the latest beta. Best of luck with the foray.

Redsn0w 0.9.8b7 gets tutorial for jailbreaking iOS 5 beta 6, iOS 4.3.5 and 4.2.10 originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 01 Sep 2011 02:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Barobo’s iMobot modular robotics system just launched earlier this year, and the folks behind it just started shipping the first kits last month. Turns out, they were on hand here at NEXT Aarhus with a bona fide demo, and we couldn’t resist a quick demo. The actual kit is being hawked primarily to universities — we’re told that each $2,000 robot can be programmed to do just about anything, and if you stock up on a couple, you can produce full-on humanoids, a camera-toting rescue snake or something else that’ll undoubtedly take over the world in just a few centuries. Each robotic piece is equipped with WiFi and Bluetooth, and aside from mounting points used for connecting family members, there’s a couple of sensor ports that allow for rangefinders and proximity modules to be stacked on as well.

The real show, however, happened when Elmo’s long-lost cousin made an appearance. We’re told that the creature is strictly a prototype using miniaturized versions of the robotic pieces that are on sale now. Those minis aren’t up for order per se, but cutting the right check might land you with more than a smile. As you’ll see in the video past the break, the software program written for the bear allowed it to “learn” movements that were dictated by the human holding it, and once the latest cheer was burned into its cotton-filled brain, a simple button press played things out in fantastical fashion. Have a look. You won’t be disappointed.

Continue reading Barobo iMobot teddy bear learns from your commands, will definitely make varsity (video)

Barobo iMobot teddy bear learns from your commands, will definitely make varsity (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 30 Aug 2011 11:35:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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