We all might dream of having an industrial robot arm at our disposal, complete with working controller that doesn’t need constant maintenance and replacement parts, and which is able to help us with other projects with only a minimum of coding or instruction. That’s a pipe dream for most of us, as without a large […]
MEARM 3.0: THE POCKET-SIZED ROBOT ARM Continue Reading
Back in 2020, students from Universidad Del Valle De Guatemala (UVG) pulled off a really impressive feat, designing and building a CubeSat that lasted a whopping 211 days in orbit. In addition to telemetry and radio equipment, it carried a black-and-white camera payload. But it turns out space is hard. The first pictures were solid black or
QUETZAL-1 SATELLITE GOES OPEN SOURCE Continue Reading
When miniature LCD TVs arrived on the market they were an object of desire, far from the reach of tech-obsessed youngsters. Now in the age of smartphones they’re a historical curiosity, but with the onward march of technology you can have one for not a lot. [Taylor Galbraith] shows us how, with an ESP32 and an
AN ESP IN YOUR MINI TV Continue Reading
[Aaed Musa] has built a variety of robots over the years, but found off-the-shelf servos to be underwhelming for his work. Thus, he set out to build a better actuator to support his goals of building a high-performance walking bot in future. [Aaed] decided to try and build a quasi-direct drive actuator, similar to those used in
DIY ROBOTIC ACTUATOR BUILT FOR WALKING ROBOTS Continue Reading
Having a computer that locks its screen after a few minutes of inactivity is always a good idea from a security standpoint, especially in offices where there is a lot of foot traffic. Even the five- or ten-minute activity timers that are set on most workstations aren’t really perfect solutions. While ideally in these situations
PRESENCE SENSOR LOCKS COMPUTER WHEN YOU STEP AWAY Continue Reading
In the real world, missile systems use advanced radars, infrared sensors, and other hardware to track and prosecute their targets. [Raspduino Uno] on YouTube has instead used ultrasound for targeting for an altogether simpler desktop fire control solution. This fun build uses a common off-the-shelf USB “missile launcher” that fires foam darts. To supply targeting data
ARDUINO-POWERED MISSILE SYSTEM USES ULTRASOUND TO AIM Continue Reading
When it comes to voice assistant devices, the Amazon Echo, boasting the ever-ready Alexa, has won the hearts of millions worldwide with its impressive functionalities. However, let’s be honest, while these devices score high on practicality, they lack the flair and personality that would truly bring them to life. Well, there’s some good news for
Amazon Echo transformed into animatronic robot Continue Reading
Thomas Edison once said that genius was 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration. That doesn’t leave much room for partspiration. I’m working on a top-secret project, and had to place a parts order on AliExpress with a minimum order quantity of five in order to get decent shipping times. No big deal, financially, and it’s always great
99% PARTSPIRATION Continue Reading
While the Fourier transform gets all the attention, there are other transforms that engineers and mathematicians use to transform signals from one form to another. Sometimes you use a transform to make a signal more amenable to analysis. Other times, you do it because you want to manipulate it, and the transform is easier to
A QUICK LOOK AT THE HILBERT TRANSFORM Continue Reading
Everyone wants a wider field of view in their VR headsets, but that’s not an easy nut to crack. [Statonwest] shows there’s a way to get at least some of the immersion benefits with a bit of simple hardware thanks to the VR Ambilight. A few years ago the Ambilight showed up as a way to spice up TV
ENHANCE VR IMMERSION BY SHOEHORNING AN AMBILIGHT INTO A HEADSET Continue Reading
