Looks like the cheap prepaid Motorola cell phones that you can find at many of the convenience stores can be used for projects such as this Open GPS Tracker project. It would be interesting to make a device that worked like a poor mans LoJack. "The Open GPS Tracker is a small device which plugs into a $20 prepaid mobile phone to make a GPS tracker. The Tracker responds
Using the SHARP GP2Y0A02YK Long Distance Measuring Sensor (PDF), a few servos and an Arduino this 3D Arduino Scanner project is able to make a polar coordinate scan of its surroundings. "The Arduino is only listening, the PC is sending commands where to set the Servos and to feedback the Analog value. On the PC a VB.net programm is running letting the Servos do a "meander style" motion and
You may remember the Sparkfun article a few years ago when they experimented in using a skillet to reflow solder on SMD parts. Limor Fried of Adafruit Industries has made a new version of the skillet that has an Arduino for a brain and can process boards with timed heating stages. "We use the Arduino controlled robot skillet to surface mount a chip on the USB Boarduino"
We have seen some very cool car hacks in the past but this iPhone Controlled Mazda RX-8 by Jonathan Oxer takes the cake. Using a wi-fi connected iPhone the user can connect to a computer in the car which is connected to the net using a separate internet connection. With this setup the user can now open doors, start the engine, monitor all of the car stats such as RPM
Using an Parallax ultrasonic sensor, an Arduino and a computer this Ultrasonic Cat Water Dish Monitor project will allow you to monitor the cat dish level from anywhere. 🙂 I think a cool upgrade would be monitoring and record the time and frequency of usage and temperature. It would be cool to see an increase of water drinks as the temperature in the house got warmer. Have a look
If you are into automated weapons of medium destruction and automation here is a cool hack you are sure to enjoy. It uses an ioBridge to allow a Wiimote to control a remote airsoft gun. Since there is a camera on the contraption you are able to hunt from anywhere in the world (as long as you have a high speed internet connection). 🙂 "Building from my previous creation
Expressive Machines Musical Instruments has developed an interesting drum system that can play many notes at the same time and much faster than humans could. Not sure how they kept the budget to $200 though. "Troy Rogers, Steven Kemper and Scott Barton compose for their mechanized instruments with the goal of exploring new "temporal, timbral, dynamic and harmonic possibilities." The result sounds like no humans we’ve ever heard. These
