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January 8, 2009

alt.CES - Brainwave scanner toys

Altces
Force-Toyx-Large
Ryan writes in-

This could make an interesting MAKE hack. I'm sure the brainwave scanner isn't high quality but it still could be neat to take apart and come up with some projects.

Toy trains 'Star Wars' fans to use The Force...

Could The Force be with you? A toy due in stores this fall will let you test and hone your Jedi-like abilities. The Force Trainer (expected to be priced at $90 to $100) comes with a headset that uses brain waves to allow players to manipulate a sphere within a clear 10-inch-tall training tower, analogous to Yoda and Luke Skywalker's abilities in the Star Wars films.

Posted by Phillip Torrone | Jan 8, 2009 12:00 AM
Electronics, hacks, News from the Future, Remake, Toys and Games | Permalink | Comments (0) | Suggest a Site

HOW TO - Pill bottle stealth key hider

Jenny @ CRAFT points us to a tutorial on Zakka Life for using a pill bottle, a rock, and some glue to make a stealth key hider for outside your home.

Make a leaf blower bike

Chris Williams wanted a small 2-stroke scooter, so he decided to make his own out of a bike and a leaf blower engine.

This was one of those projects I couldn't get out of my head. I had seen, on the internet and in person, the small 2-stroke engine powered scooters which were becoming increasingly popular. Naturally I wanted one, but I'm not the type that would just buy a commercially available scooter that will work well and last for years and be happy about it: I would have to build my own.

One of the things I like about this project is that it's a bit of a first draft. Chris documented the details of his design but notes that he ran into issues with the stability of the mount and tensioning device that hold the motor in place against the wheel. Even with these issues, however, the scooter can pull a steady 20-25mph.

It looks like a lot of fun. If you decide to make your own, this prototype should help to inform your own safer and more reliable design.

How to Strap a Leaf Blower Engine to a Bike and Go Fast

India's solar rickshaws

(Image via The Delhi Walla)

Here's an interesting take on the traditional pedicab / rickshaw:

The Soleckshaw is still in the trial stages, but the solar powered rickshaw has already people talking and contemplating what the technology could do if these vehicles replace the human-powered kind. The Indian prototype by the Center for Science and Industrial Research has been running in trial stages since October. The dual-powered cycle operates by pedal power and a 36 V 240-350 W battery that gets charged at a solar charging station. It has a carbon footprint of zero, so it doesn't pollute any more than the traditional version.

The solar version reaches a pretty impressive speed of about 15 kilometres per hour and, fully-charged, the battery can keep going for 50-70 kilometres. The goal is to develop the current four Soleckshaws into more advanced models in time for the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi.

With top assist speed of under 10 miles per hour and a tiny little hub motor, this isn't exactly screaming performance. But, with their light weight and decent hauling capabilities, pedicabs could make for an interesting platform to build other electric vehicles...

Harmonic table input software

Processingharmonictable

Grant writes -

I created a replica of the C-thru AXiS harmonic table keyboard using Processing, rwmidi, and ControlP5. You can click to send note ons, or drag around with the mouse to send lots of them. Still working on getting it installed on tablet or touchscreen so I can use my fingers. If I like how it feels to play, I'll buy a C-thru. Its a good way to test a new interface without sinking 1000's of bucks into it.

Great idea for those interested in this alternative controller format. Visit Grant's blog for software download and more development info - Processing Harmonic Table 01

WowWee at CES

WowWee usually rolls out a number of new bots each CES and this year is no exception. I've been a little disappointed in the new bots coming out recently. I'm not seeing much beyond cosmetic changes -- different characters or bot skins. New tech, that works, seems less forthcoming. I didn't have high hopes for the TrueTrack waypoint navigation they brought to the Rovio and my messing around with it has only confirmed my suspicions.

Amongst this year's toybots (e.g. Joebot -- think: male analog to the Femisapien and Roborover -- successor to the Tri-Bot), the Spybot looks interesting, a leaner, meaning (next gen?) version of the Rovio. And it's only $170. It doesn't appear to use TrueTrack nav. Let's hope the light is brighter and the camera is better than the Rovio.

Strange among this year's offerings is the Cinemin, a family of palm-top video projectors using TI's DLP technology. They're designed to plug into iPods, phones, and other media devices, to project their content. Will the next Robosapien be able to project Princess Leia's cries for help? The Cinemins will retail for between $300 and $400.

More info on all these bots and the Cinemin projectors can be found at Robot's Rule.

Gestural pod controller for music

The GCe2 (Gestural Controller - Exploration 2) provide a simple and elegant method for sonic control - tilt left/right for pitch, back for chorus effect and squeezing the device adds a flange. All that in a cuddly little UFO-like package. [via Synthtopia]

Noise Night @ Willougbhy & Baltic

Wb Noisenight-1

Jimmie writes in about a new recurring event, Noise Night. Planned for every second and fourth Thursday of each month, all levels of expertise are welcome -

Noise Night is going to be a general electronic instrument music and noise night, not just circuit bending (you can bet that circuit bending will be a solid part of the event though). It is for anyone who enjoys making strange sounds and music, strange electronic instruments, and for anyone who wants to be around others that make strange sounds, music, and instruments.

We are going to start things off with a quick talk, and then a show and tell. So bring anything interesting you've made and want to show off. Then we will turn the irons on and start working on things. Hopefully jam sessions will pop up as well, and people will let others play with their toys.

[...]

When:
1/8 & 1/22 from 7PM till 9 (maybe later if people are interested), and then every 2nd and 4th Thursday afterwards.
Check the calendar.

Where:
Willougbhy and Baltic Hackerspace
197A Elm St.
Somerville, MA 02144
It is the door to the left of Subway. Look for the W&B sign.

Cost:
Free! This is a public event, so anyone is free to come. Donations are appreciated, and go directly back into buying equipment and parts.

- Noise Night at Willoughbhy and Baltic

There will also be a screening of the first 2 episodes of Make: television at Willougbhy and Baltic this Sunday, time is currently TBD - but we'll keep you posted.

Welcome to Alternative CES -- "alt.CES" - BUGLab modules

Make Pt1582
Each year over 100,000 people visit the Las Vegas area to celebrate consumer electronics at an event called "CES" - in addition to all of the announcements, press releases and the constant coverage on our favorite gadget sites there's been a dark cloud creeping in, there seems to be a growing resentment among the folks who cover the show - it's just not that fun any more, last year's show was all about giant TVs, and later a controversy about turning those very same TVs off.

I went to CES for years and year and always had a great time, I was attracted to the "weird" section that had Chinese clones and odd undiscovered jewels, it was almost 10 years ago that Danger had a little booth on their own showing the Sidekick, years later the Sidekick became an nationwide best selling phone, it's still one of my favorites. I remember showing friends pictures of the Sidekick, they all thought it was a bizarre little device, and perhaps it was at the time.

So, it's 2009 and on MAKE we cover very high-tech products, mostly in our reviews, green, gadgets and "news from the future" sections - this year we're going to try something new - we'll pick and choose some cool things we see around the web from CES specifically with a MAKE lens, but we'll also post some things we'd like to see or things from the past that would be great to see "CES" style. We're calling this "alt.CES" it's a little parody, a little bizarro world, a little fun and little bit about what's going on in the CES world - we'll have a few posts a day about this, if there's something you see around the web from CES that you think makers would like to check out, let us know.

First up, BUGLabs - last year I think they were the most interesting things at CES and this year they are announcing a ton of new BUG modules... BUGlabs are one of the pioneers in open source hardware - the source, schematics and PCB files are available for their products.

Bugsound 1
Bugsound 2
Bug Labs announced five new BUGmodules... Each BUGmodule represents a specific gadget function (e.g. a camera, a keyboard, a video output, etc.) that can be snapped to the BUGbase, a programmable Linux-based mini-computer with four available BUGmodule slots.

The five new BUGmodules are:

BUGprojector, a mini pico-projector module, incorporating DLP® Pico™ technology from Texas Instruments. With a native resolution of 480x320 pixels, stereo playback and a brightness of 9 lumens, users can project videos, photos and presentations on the go.
BUGsound, an audio module, providing a flush-mount 20-mm speaker and omnidirectional microphone with hardware stereo codecs and four 3.5-mm stereo jacks for third-party inputs, outputs, headphones and microphones. Use BUG as a portable music player, speakerphone, audio processor or more.
BUG3g GSM, a 3G mobile radio with SIM card input, enabling BUGs to connect to any high-speed GSM network. Users can place calls, send and receive SMSes or transmit data, opening a world of possibilities for mobile and telephony applications.
BUGwifi, a dual-function 802.11b/g wi-fi and Bluetooth™ 2.0 + EDR radio, offering yet another wireless data connectivity option for the BUGbase, while providing a gateway to a variety of peripherals such as keyboards, mice, headsets and more.
BUGbee, a low-powered 802.15.4 radio, enabling BUG developers to create short-range personal area network (PAN) applications for home automation, sensor networks, automotive and more.

These five modules complement the initial batch of BUGmodules, including BUGlocate (GPS), BUGcam2MP (digital camera), BUGmotion (motion sensor and accelerometer) and BUGview (touchscreen LCD). And with the recent addition of BUGvonHippel, a breadboard module enabling users to add virtually any interface to their BUGbase.

This is really cool news, I can finally re-make my location based MP3 player again, the first one was made in 2002 using Macromedia Flash, GPS and Pocket PC, yikes. The way is works... you put in a playlist based on location, so maybe you'll hear "Eye of the tiger" when it known you're jogging up that HUGE hill, or maybe your MP3 player only plays bands in the town you happen to be in...

Yamaha keyboard redux

(Be sure to keep your volume at a low level as there's a fairly piercing tone around 2m10s!)

Mike Walters modified a Yamaha PSS 140 and rehoused al the parts and functionality in a new custom speakandspell-esque case (looks like that circuit-bent aesthetic may be catching on). Thus bringing us the Mike-o-Wave. Check out more of his work @ Mystery Circuits.

MAKE @ dorkbot-nyc - 7pm on Wednesday, January 7th, 2009

Make Pt1584
dorkbot-nyc is tonight in NYC - The 4706th dorkbot-nyc meeting will take place at 7pm on Wednesday, January 7th, 2009 at Location One in SoHo. MAKE will be there at the beginning to show our preview of Make: television!

Zach Lieberman: openFrameworks Zach Lieberman will be presenting openframeworks, a cross platform c++ library for creative coding and talking about recent projects, including OF lab, a miniature research laboratory created at this years Ars Electronica, Animo, a full body stop motion animation system, Card Play, a musical instrument using playings cards and Lights On!, a performance of music and building lights premiering on New Years eve, 2009. http://www.openframeworks.cc Di Mainstone: Hands-On Get-up A quest of discovery for those who inhabit their fibers and an alluring curiosity for those who cohabit their space - I create playful interactive adornments that roam the body hiding and revealing tales that are close to my heart. A hands-on choreography of fashion, technology and performance, each piece is an exploration of human behavior. During the presentation, I will discuss a few of my recent wearable projects and share my current work in progress: Hands-On Get-UP. http://sharewear.projects.v2.nl http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=7kc41dKjA1c http://www.xslabs.net/skorpions http://www.dimainstone.com Jay Van Buren & Boris Kizelshteyn: Brooklyn Is Watching "Brooklyn is Watching" is a "mixed reality" project that spans the real world and Second Life bringing real world criticism into contact with the new and blossoming world of Second Life art. In the Brooklyn gallery "Jack the Pelican Presents" a computer is running Second Life whenever the gallery is open and lets visitors to the gallery pilot the project's avatar around a special island in Second Life. Visitors can see art on that island on a 52 inch screen. In Second Life a giant sign on a tower announces "BROOKLYN IS WATCHING" and any SL resident can create anything they want on that island for the visitors to the gallery in Brooklyn to see. There is a blog at www.brooklyniswatching.com and a podcast (itunes: brooklyn is watching) where a rotating cast of artists, gallerists and art historians chronicle and critique whatever shows up on the island with a contemporary art eye and a lot of brooklyn attitude. The project started in March of 2008 and will run for one full year. http://brooklyniswatching.com

RepRap Build-a-thon at HacDC

We're going to be holding a free, two-day RepRap Build-a-thon at HacDC, on Jan. 24 & 25th.

HacDC, the Washington, DC-area technology and arts collective, is presenting a free, open to the public two-day event over the weekend of January 24th - 25th. Attendees will participate in the construction and use of a remarkable open source tool, the "Replicating Rapid Prototyper" or RepRap. Anyone can make a RepRap machine, using parts made by another person with a similar machine, and a few additional parts that can be found online or from a local hardware store. RepRap is capable of making a nearly complete copy of itself, given a small amount of (possibly recycled) plastic. Once the machine is made, the user can download designs for other objects from the Internet or create their own designs, which can then be printed with the RepRap machine.

The two-day sessions will include talks by RepRap founders and pioneers, as well as demonstrations by local experimenters who have built their own RepRaps and contributed to the development of the system. After the talks, the seminar participants will participate in the construction of a RepRap from the ground up. Attendees will complete this process during the seminar, providing a great opportunity for everyone to get some experience assembling and using a RepRap. Smaller breakout sessions on related topics, such as stepper motor function, microcontroller programming and 3D modeling will be presented, in order to provide the attendees with the skills needed to construct and use the RepRap system.

More info at HacDC.

Use Google Maps to view high-res photos

In order to present a high resolution map of the entire globe inside an ordinary web browser, programs like Google Maps employ the use of tiles. When the map is prepared, it's rendered out at each available zoom level, and each zoom level is divided up into a number of small 256x256 pixel squares. When the map is viewed in a browser, the map display code takes care of loading in just the tiles that are visible in the current map view, sparing the download time and processing power required to load in the entire world's map imagery.

You can think of the Google Maps display engine as a photo viewer for really, really high res photos.

In fact, you can use the mapping software to display your own high res photography. By tiling different zoom levels of any high resolution photograph, and replacing the default map set with your own custom tiles, you can use the Google Maps interface to zoom and pan any image you like. The UCL Centre for Advanced Spatial Analysis created a program called Google Maps Image Cutter that makes this process very easy:

The Google Maps Image Cutter takes a large image and cuts it into lots of 256x256 pixel images. At the top level there is only one 256 pixel square which is a smaller copy of the original image. At the next level, there are four 256 pixel squares, then sixteen, sixty four and two hundred and fifty six. This corresponds to 256, 512, 1024, 2048 and 4096 pixel square images spread over the map tiles. The application automatically chooses the depth of the maximum zoom level to correspond to the original size of the image, so zooming in any further would make the image bigger and cause it to pixelate.

The image cutter will render all of these tiles to a subfolder and generate an HTML file with all the necessary Google Maps embed code built-in. You simply insert your API key into this file, and then use an IFRAME tag in your site to embed the map HTML. The end result is an image viewer that fits your site layout, without sacrificing the detail or quality of the original photo.

The Google Maps Image Cutter
Put Your Large Pictures in Web Pages without Resizing Them - Google Maps Image Viewer

Contacts case for small parts

Here's something that never would have occurred to me -- using old contact lens cases to hold and organize surface-mount and other tiny electronics parts.

Small Parts Tray made from Contact Lens Cases

Recycling for fun

With Bill Nye's Paper Recycling Factory, recycling is literally (supposed to be) fun. Of course, DIY options abound. Either way, old newspapers are a much more environmentally-sound (and often safer) toy input than some things you'd find on store shelves. (via Treehugger)

Crossword puzzle apartment building

1Crosssword
Crossword puzzle apartment building via BuzzFeed.

People of Lvov city in Ukraine decided to add another attraction for the visitors of their city. According to the artistic project it was decided to place a giant 100 feet (30 meters) tall at the wall of the one of the multi-stored residential houses. There is one interesting detail about the design of the puzzle. It looks like an empty puzzle during the day-light, but at night when special lights are on the words in the puzzle become visible with a lightly-glowing fluorescent color. The questions for this crossword puzzle are located in different point of interests of the city, like monuments, theaters, fountains etc. So people while walking around the city can try to answer the questions and writing down the answers. When the night comes to the city they can meet at this house and check their degree of intelligence.

Spiffy face lift for an old toy...

Photo 83556-Gadget Freak Case 132
Spiffy face lift for an old toy...

Luis Fernando Espinal Ceballos of Colombia wanted to give his cousin's son the slot track racing set he loved as a child. But the toy seemed unbearably old-fashioned. So Luis jazzed it up with a new electronic control system. He dumped the old battery box and replaced it with a used PC power supply and rewired the entire system for tighter control. He also added a lap counter to the circuit and upgraded the cars from old Lotus models to new Porsche and BMW models.

Benheck's PC Mod Pick of the Day - WMD PC

This awesome mod was built by Peter Dickison and is of course meant to look like a nuclear bomb from your average action movie.

The metal working is great, let's take a look at it in more detail, shall we?

Read full story

The Naked Scientists explain the science of snot

I love the Naked Scientists site - they explain things so well. And snot is always interesting.

The average sneeze can propel a mucus missile and its microbial passengers at up to 100 miles per hour, hence the saying "coughs and sneezes spread diseases", and as well as sneezing there is of course nose blowing. But much to the disgust of many a reader, the vast majority of our mucus is in fact eaten! Our airways are lined with millions of tiny hairs, called cilia. These beat in synchrony to produce waves of movement, a bit like how a Mexican wave moves around a football stadium. These waves sweep the mucus to the back of the throat where it is swallowed. Stomach acid then takes care of most of the things inside that could be infectious. But if the mucus dries out and hardens before it can be ferried to the throat it can produce an unsightly bogey!

Giant water tower cozy

Jenny @ CRAFT tips us off to this cool 10,000 gallon water tower cozy video:

The project, which was conceived to bring awareness to the educational organization D&AD's pencil award, used 32 MILES of Wool-Ease Thick & Quick yarn!

For more information on the project, which took Robyn Love and 6 crocheters 3 weeks of speed-crocheting to put together, please visit Lion Brand.

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