Who would have thought there could be so many puns and so much wordplay around an open-source processor?
See? Technology always surprises!
Matt Howard has found instructions for an interesting and flexible kit, creating a modular board components based on the Arduino. This is following on Matt's presentation in January. Check out the complete Open Source Platform resource page on the DorkbotColumbus site.
Link: Lamp Powered by Gravity Wins Award.
What a glorious gadget! Can there be a resource with freer access than gravity? Too cool.
Link: instructables : Breath powered USB charger.
Everyone is so excited about gigundic propellers in the sky, creating electricity from the passing breeze. And then there's the magical notion of making electricity from almost any repetitive motion - like the waves of the ocean. A growing number of experimenters are seeking ways to generate power for handy USB or small-battery-powered devices.
Put all that together - and then make it comparatively very very small - and you have this new idea for human-powered electronics. By taking advantage of the fact that you must breathe (thus the wind) combined with the repetitive chest movement inherent to breathing - and you've got a new way to maximize the pay-off from that PowerBar.
This instructable leverages a gear train with a rubber-band around the chest to generate power - while it is small power today, the creator promises possible improvements that may be more efficient. Like the man said - small is beautiful!
Link: MAKE: Blog: HOW TO - Make a Squawkbox - Your personal vox.
Matt Howard brought his own Squawkbox invention to the Dorkbot Experimental Music event on April 28. He posted the instructions to make it on the Instructibles site - a terrific place to see how do-it-yourselfers execute their new ideas.
Then Matt's invention and it's Instructibles link got picked up by Philip Torrone of the blog of Make Magazine - another great resource for ideas.
Congratulations Matt! And thanks to Philip at Make!
Thankfully, looks like the snow season is just about over (although many remember a 2-foot snowfall in April some years ago!) - but it's good to know that the Dorkbot spirit can tackle even the mighty forces of nature.
Fellow named Bill Lauver - in Middleberg PA - has built a remote control snowplow that allows him to tend to his back-breaking driveway-clearing chores, without leaving the comfort of his Barca Lounger.
The device is built from the chassis and engine of a golf cart - with extra batteries, remote control electronics - and of course, a plow. Check out the video:
Not to be outdone - turns out the Japanese have not only pursued this slacker's dream - but they have productized it - called the Yuki-Taro. Cute little guy, for a rough-tough snow-plowin' machine!
Link: Water computer.
Some popular programs suffer from a condition called "memory leak" - where the the program leaves unused pointers and content around the computer's memory, so that the space required by the program appears to grow over time. The "leak" can be resolved by re-starting the program.
Well, an MIT grad student named Paulo Blikstein has created a computer with a real potential for leaking. Based on the principles of "gates" used in logic design, he created a small but functional circuit using self-designed and -manufactured cells that control water flow to generate a "bit." Leaks in this case would be resolved with paper towels.
In true Dorkbot tradition - Blikstein undertook the project as part of a "How to make (almost) anything" class at the MIT Media Lab. Just because it was there?
So let's see - we've seen computers made from Tinker Toys, electrons, photons, water. Looks like there's still opportunity for Earth, Wind and Fire! (Cue the music ...)
