Never risk a squirt of grapefruit juice in the eye again, thanks to Kevin Martin and Hyundo Reiner. The two created this automatic grapefruit slicer as a final project for their Designing with Microcontrollers class at Cornell University. Be sure to check out the incredibly detailed documentation for the project, complete with schematics, source code, and a thank you to their local supermarket for donating the grapefruit.
Continue ReadingCheck out this incredible Interactive Robotic Painting Machine by artist and composer Benjamin Grosser. The machine takes in sound as an input and outputs paintings: This machine uses artificial intelligence to paint its own body of work and to make its own decisions. While doing so, it listens to its environment and considers what it hears as input into the painting process. In the absence of someone or something else making sound in its presence, the machine, like many artists, listens to itself.
Continue ReadingIt’s mesmerizing to watch Pe Lang‘s mechanical artwork in motion, especially this machine that arranges droplets of water on an omniphobic surface. From Triangulation: Falling objects – positioning systems from 2009-2011 is a custom made machine that adds drops of water onto a special textured surface. Each drop forms into an almost perfect sphere through […]
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Featured at the 1939 World’s Fair, the Voder (Voice Operating DEmonstratoR) from Bell Laboratories created vocal sounds via dedicated noise and tone generating vacuum tubes. These sounds were formed into words by the hand of a specially trained operator seated at the Voder’s interface. In aninterview with CMJ, electronic music pioneer Wendy Carlos explains in […]
Continue ReadingDuring a quiet moment on Sunday afternoon at Maker Faire Austin 2008, I had a nice conversation with Mitch Altman. At the end of a very busy weekend, he was pretty beat, but I was struck with what a wonderful and peaceful guy Mitch is. Mitch Altman creates kits that inspire people to make things. […]
Continue ReadingA precursor to modern sound and light devices such as the Brain Machine, Brion Gysin and Ian Sommerville’s Dreamachine – In its original form, a dreamachine is made from a cylinder with slits cut in the sides. The cylinder is placed on a record turntable and rotated at 78 or 45 revolutions per minute. A […]
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Every good instrument deserves an appropriately cool enclosure. After building the Loud Objects Noise Toy kit, I decided to case it up with some added flare. Read on for more pics & info. Related: HOW TO – build the Noise Toy Noise Toy – crash course in programming A friend brought me back a small […]
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