security

Jimmy DiResta’s Bookgun Stash

Jimmy DiResta’s Bookgun Stash

Our pal Jimmy DiResta just posted this video of him creating a hiding place for a handgun inside of an old hardbound book. We’ve covered these book safes in the past, usually made by cutting out the hiding compartment with the book still intact. Jimmy disbinds the book, creates a cutting jig, and then cuts […]

Make: Projects – Secret Garage Door Remote

Make: Projects – Secret Garage Door Remote

This easy mod retains all of the convenience of the remote clipped to the visor while dispelling most of the risk. The remote button is concealed on the underside of a plastic beverage cup that rests in your cup-holder, with the electronics concealed inside the cup. To activate the opener, just push down on the top of the cup. From outside of the car (and from inside it, too), the remote looks like an empty soda cup you just haven’t thrown out yet.

 Face Recognition System

$30 Face Recognition System

Cornell undergraduates Brian Harding and Cat Jubinski built a portable face recognition system for their capstone ECE 4760 project: “Our design consists of an Atmel ATmega644 8-bit microcontroller, a C3088 camera module with an OmniVision OV6620 CMOS image sensor, Atmel’s AT45DB321D Serial Dataflash, a Varitronix MDLS16264 LCD module for output, a 9-volt battery, and a small wooden structure for chin support.” The system is hooked up to a computer to train the pattern-recognition algorithm, but from then on it can enroll new users, delete old users, and recognize up to 20 enrolled users as a standalone system.