Robot Year in Review: 2013
2013 was a good year for robotics. Let’s review some of my favorite stories, maker, products and projects.
Technology
Making Connections With Conductive Tape: A Primer
Conductive tape should be sold right alongside duct tape in craft stores. It is great stuff. How amazing that it acts like a wire and carries electricity between a battery and components like LEDs, buzzers, and motors. And you can take it anywhere. I mean anywhere. Planes, trains, automobiles, Maker Faires, libraries, other people’s living rooms. Can’t say that about a soldering iron.
Face Detection in 10 Minutes
Jason Kridner, a software architecture manager at TI and co-founder of BeagleBoard.org, shows how to program a BeagleBone to run Open-CV and face-detection algorithms.
RobotsConf 2013: Mission Accomplished!
RobotsConf, a new conference designed to transform coders into makers, was a huge success!
I spoke with conference curators Chris and Laura Williams before the event. They had an audacious plan, and I wondered if it would work. I’ve attended many tech conferences and maker events, but never one with this format – a format which was later referred to as “sleep-away maker camp” by an attendee.
littleBits Synth Kit Makes Every Kid Into a Musical Experimenter
littleBits’ Synth Kit it’s a series of open-source synthesizer modules, co-designed with synth legends Korg. In short, it lets kids experiment with electronic music.
Upcycled-Computer Christmas Wreath
Louis Pelissier upcycled components from old computers to make a festive, red and green Christmas wreath. He spelled out “Merry Christmas” with keyboard keys, and made a red bow out of Cat5 network cable.
Robots: What’s Google up to?
Google is acquiring robotics companies. Where are they headed? Take a look at who they bought and where it might lead them.