As the preeminent tool for makers, Arduino is a versatile platform that covers almost every type of creative making. With its simple-to-use coding language and fun programming concepts, Arduino enables users to create modern electronics with ease. From beginner level projects like flashing LED lights to more advanced builds such as interactive robots, there are an endless number of possibilities when it comes to building projects with Arduino. Whether you are new or an experienced builder in search of fresh ideas, these posts will provide interesting Arduino tutorials and unique ideas that may spark your creativity and motivate you take on any type of maker project!
We worked closely with the good folks at Arduino to bring you these Make: Special Edition Arduino Unos, now available in the Maker Shed! Functionally, they are identical to a regular Arduino Uno R3 (with SMD microcontroller) but feature exclusive Make branding to set them apart from the rest.
Over the last few months there have been a sudden rush of new micro-controller boards onto the market. A lot of that is down to Kickstarter and the appearance of a number slightly tweaked Arduino clones. A lot of them feature some sort of mesh networking, or other wireless capability. Here’s ten new boards that have just arrived, or are coming to market real soon, that you should maybe think about for your next project.
Today we’re launching a new video series: Making Fun with Jeff Highsmith. Jeff is a North Carolina-based maker who says he’s guided by curiosity and a passion for learning. He says his ideal project would lead him to learn new things, make good use of his existing skills, involve the creative use materials (too much MacGyver growing up), and result in a fun contrivance that the world has yet to see. He was introduced to electronics through amateur radio at age 11, but didn’t start the hard-core tinkering until his first son was born and he realized he wouldn’t be spending as much time outdoors hiking and backpacking. In the Making Fun video series, Jeff hopes to inspire folks to cultivate their own creativity by showing them how easy it is to make fun toys and gadgets. With two boys aged 3 and 5, he has toys on the brain, and most of his projects involve creating or enhancing play possibilities.
Artist duo Varvara Guljajeva and Mar Canet collaborated with MTG researcher Sebastian Mealla to produce custom scarves featuring brainwave activity recorded with a non-invasive EEG headset. Brain activity such as relaxation, excitement, and cognitive load were measured while listening to Bach’s “Goldberg Variations” and the data was converted into knitting patterns with Knitic, their open-source knitting machine.
Last week I caught up with Richard Berwick, co-founder of the Dreambox, at UC Berkeley. The Dreambox is a 3D Printing vending machine.
Artist duo Varvara Guljajeva and Mar Canet collaborated with MTG researcher Sebastian Mealla to produce custom scarves with their open source knitting machine, which feature brainwave activity recorded with a non-invasive EEG headset.
Knitic is a project involving a custom shield for an Arduino Due; these plug into a knitting machine’s solenoids and sensors, allowing Arduino control of your machine.
