Tired of Arduino shields that only do one thing? Wish there was something with lots of functions to play with? The 7-Segment Shield from the Maker Shed is just what you need. It features a 4 digit 7 segment LED display, an RGB LED, a blue LED and temperature sensor.
I’ve been waiting for a touchscreen placemat for some time now. Microsoft’s surface was/is a cool technology, but what we really need is something that’s basically an extra large tablet you wouldn’t feel bad about spilling your coffee on. The folks at SKR Technology have a prototype touch system that’s getting closer to this reality.
Using a laser diode, steering mirrors, and a non-imaging photodetector, Stéphane Perrin, Alvaro Cassinelli, Masatoshi Ishikaw from the University of Tokyo’s Ishikawa Hashimoto Laboratory have built a low-power and potentially low-cost interactive laser display called Sticky Light that projects a ball of light that interacts with the viewer in realtime. Potential uses include video games, augmented reality, cheap heads-up displays, and various forms of interactive advertising.
Check out this super sleek wooden roll top cover for the iPad 2 from Dutch case manufacturer Miniot. Made from a single piece of cherrywood, the case fits snug to the tablet using internal magnets. The design differs from the stock Apple Smart Cover with its rigid rolling arch, smooth organic lines, and its lack of hinge. Though I have yet to hold one in my hand, from what I’ve seen in the video demonstration it appears to offer superior support when used as a stand to prop up the device.
3D volumetric displays are a lot like jetpacks. They’re both science fiction inspired technologies that are technically feasible, yet never quite make it to the practicable stage. Even though these technologies are just out of reach, every once in a while you’ll see a demo that advances the state of the art enough to keep you going. Check out this demo from researchers at Osaka University, where they’ve created a 3D volumetric display using directed fog and multiple projectors.
Hexagons are cool but a bit of a pain because their spacing involves a root 3, a non rational number. This means you can’t lay it out on strip board, it needs a special PCB. That’s why I built my CNC project mainly to do this project. The hexagonal spacing allows different sorts of sequencers […]
Janet Zweig and Franklyn Berry built this Lipstick Enigma sculpture, which uses 1200 (!) stepper motors to display computer-generated messages on a giant grid of resin lipstick tubes.
