ArduinoMania

When people restore old typewriters, they mostly just make them (1) look new and (2) usable again. Joe Hounsham from Plymouth University in the UK, however, had other ideas in mind: he took one and upgraded it to connect to the internet. More specifically, Hounsham's device (called Dico) connects you to a random person from a chat room -- in fact, it starts looking for a stranger to talk to as soon as its ultrasonic sensor feels you approaching. The other person's messages are processed by an Arduino microcontroller, which controls the solenoids that pull down the keys on the typewriter. Yes, a piece of paper serves as the device's "screen," and to reply, you need to type on it, too.

Filed under: Misc

Comments

Via: Physorg

Source: Plymouth University, Joe Hounsham, IBM Business Mobile Insights

Tags: arduino, PlymouthUniversity, typewriter

When people restore old typewriters, they mostly just make them (1) look new and (2) usable again. Joe Hounsham from Plymouth University in the UK, however, had other ideas in mind: he took one and upgraded it to connect to the internet. More specifically, Hounsham's device (called Dico) connects you to a random person from a chat room -- in fact, it starts looking for a stranger to talk to as soon as its ultrasonic sensor feels you approaching. The other person's messages are processed by an Arduino microcontroller, which controls the solenoids that pull down the keys on the typewriter. Yes, a piece of paper serves as the device's "screen," and to reply, you need to type on it, too.

Filed under: Misc

Comments

Via: Physorg

Source: Plymouth University, Joe Hounsham, IBM Business Mobile Insights

Tags: arduino, PlymouthUniversity, typewriter

When people restore old typewriters, they mostly just make them (1) look new and (2) usable again. Joe Hounsham from Plymouth University in the UK, however, had other ideas in mind: he took one and added the appropriate upgrades to turn it a high-tech typewriter that connects to the internet. To be precise, Hounsham's device called Dico connects you to a random person from a chat room -- in fact, it starts looking for a stranger to talk to as soon as its ultrasonic sensor feels you approaching. The other person's messages are then processed by an Arduino microcontroller, which controls the solenoids the pulls down the keys on the typewriter. Yes, a paper serves as the device's "screen," and to reply, you need to type on it, as well.

Filed under: Misc

Comments

Via: Physorg

Source: Plymouth University, Joe Hounsham, IBM Business Mobile Insights