Want to know if someone is telling you the truth? Well, unfortunately Juan Gg’s “USB Polygraph” isn’t a professional product and won’t actually give you an answer. However, it is a neat exploration into biometrics that incorporates Arduino, some sensors, and data visualization.
The DIY lie detector does measure one’s galvanic skin response, pulse, and breathing, so it’s an interesting way to observe “suspects” when questioned. Perhaps one could even use it to monitor a person’s vitals when performing various physical activities.
The device collects sensor readings via an Arduino Uno. These are then passed along to a nearby computer over serial, which graphs everything using a custom Python program.
If you’d like to make your own, code and mechanical files are available on GitHub!
This is a USB Polygraph, which I designed and built as a classroom project on June 2018. The hardware side is pretty simple, an Arduino UNO collects data from some sensors and sends it via serial. On the computer, a Python program takes that data and not only graphs it, but it also allows the user to save it, manages questions and adds question and answer markers to the graphs so results can later be inspected. All results are saved in .txt files.
Shape-shifting interfaces, which could be deployed to create dynamic furniture, structures or VR environments, have great potential; however, creating them is often quite difficult. To simplify things, researchers from the University of Colorado Boulder have developed “LiftTiles,” modular blocks that raise to the desired height (between 15 and 150 centimeters) via air pressure and then collapse under spring force when needed.
Each pneumatic tile costs under $10 USD, weighs only 10kg each, and supports up to 10kg of weight. To demonstrate their design, the team used solenoid valves to inflate blocks and servo motors to open release valves that allow the blocks deflate and compress.
The system is based on an Arduino Mega board, along with an SR300 depth camera to measure the height of each section and client software running on a control computer.
You know you’ve done it. You’re walking through the store and you see those pillows covered in sequins that change color depending on which way you lay them. You swipe your fingers across the surface, for a letter, or maybe a simple drawing. Then comes the satisfying part, you swipe […]
If you want a way to measure magnetic fields on the go, then look no further than this tiny device from Instructables user “rgco.”
The portable magnetometer was made using just a couple of common parts, including an SS49E linear Hall effect sensor, an Arduino Nano, a 0.96” OLED screen, and a push button.
All the electronics are concealed inside a Tic Tac box, which holds the components together and provides a window for the display. The SS49E itself is isolated from the rest of the unit via a ballpoint pen tube, which allows it to be placed in narrow openings without interference.
For increased accuracy, the sensor was calibrated using a cylindrical electromagnet, and the project was prototyped using an Uno before being stuffed into its rather small enclosure.
Board games can be fun, but what happens when you need more than six, 12, or even 20 possibilities to decide your character’s fate? One could of course use several dice, or an online simulator, but creator “Rehaan33” built something much more elegant in the form of a dedicated dice terminal.
This device takes user input from a pair of rotary switches to the dice high limit, then uses an Arduino Nano to generate a random value when its “roll” button is pressed. Limit and result values are shown on their own seven-segment LED displays.
The enclosure for the unit is beautifully constructed out of ash wood and black acrylic, which should fit in nicely with a variety of games, including Warhammer 40,000 for which it was designed.
It’s surprisingly easy to misjudge tips that come into the Hackaday tip line. After filtering out the omnipresent spam, a quick scan of tip titles will often form a quick impression that turns out to be completely wrong. Such was the case with a recent tip that seemed from the subject line to be a flight simulator cockpit. The mental picture I had was of a model cockpit hooked to Flight Simulator or some other off-the-shelf flying game, many of which we’ve seen over the years.
I couldn’t have been more wrong about the project that Grant Hobbs undertook. His cockpit simulator turned out to be so much more than what I thought, and after trading a few emails with him to get all the details, I felt like I had to share the series of hacks that led to the short video below and the story about how he somehow managed to build the set despite having no previous experience with the usual tools of the trade.
A Novel and a Film
Grant has been making short films for a while, mainly in collaboration with John Dwyer, an author of historical novels. Grant’s shorts are used as promos for John’s books, and nicely capture the period and settings of John’s novels. Most of these films required little in the way of special sets, relying instead on stock footage and vintage costumes to achieve their look and feel. John’s latest novel would change all that.
Called Mustang, the novel centers on a hotshot fighter pilot in WWII. Grant’s vision for the short to promote the book was inspired by the recent Christopher Nolan film Dunkirk, which featured intricate sequences filmed in the cockpit of a Spitfire. Granted wanted a similar look, and began arranging to use a real P-51 Mustang for filming. That presented immediate problems. First, there aren’t that many of the vintage aircraft left, and those that are still flying usually have anachronistic instruments in the cockpit, like GPS. Also, Grant wanted the instruments to respond as if the plane were airborne, and to have the shadows cast by the canopy into the cockpit suggest aerial maneuvers. Such an effect would be difficult to achieve with a plane stuck on a runway.
That’s when Grant realized that a gimballed cockpit simulator was needed. It could have a period-accurate dashboard, be positioned outdoors to take advantage of natural daylight and real backgrounds rather than CGI, and could be pitched, rolled and yawed to simulate flight. It would be perfect, and it would save the project. There was just one problem: he had no idea how to build it.
Helping Hands
Wisely, Grant turned to his local hackerspace, Dallas Maker Space, for help. There he found not only the tools he lacked, but kindred spirits with the necessary skills and the willingness to share them. They started working on the cockpit instrument panel, which ended up including a combination of actual flight hardware and mocked-up instruments. The fake instruments used steppers and an Arduino to drive the needles, which were controlled by a custom iPad app that was used to animate them live during filming. The real instruments, like the artificial horizon and turn-and-slip indicator, were powered by a vacuum pump and responded to the movements of the simulator on its gimbals.
The gimballed cockpit set for exterior shots. The wide horizon and natural lighting combined with the 3-DOF gimbal make for a very realistic effect.
Mounting this convincing panel into something was an entirely different undertaking. Grant relied heavily on the experience of DMS members to design a structure strong enough to support the actor and allow for the motion needed to create a convincing effect. The cockpit mockup, made from plasma-cut sheet metal and plywood, is mounted to a heavy-duty three-axis gimbal, including a massive bearing from a pallet jack for the yaw axis.
Set and talent, ready for action.
Grant had originally planned to place the mockup on a mountaintop for shooting, much as the Spitfire mockup from Dunkirk was placed on the edge of a cliff to give an unobstructed horizon to simulate flying over the English Channel. When that proved logistically challenging, he set up on an airport runway and used clever camera blocking to avoid shooting the horizon. Grips manually moved the simulator while Grant manipulated the fake instruments and filmed the results, which I think speak for themselves. If only the budget – and on-set safety – would have supported simulating the massive four-blade Mustang propeller, the illusion would have been complete.
I really enjoyed digging into this project and all the hacks that it entailed. Movie magic is as much about hacking as anything else, at least behind the cameras, and it’s good to see what’s possible with a limited budget. We recently featured a low-budget but high-style sci-fi movie set build, and we’ve gone in-depth with a playback designer for the Netflix series Lost in Space, both in these pages and as a Hack Chat.
Apparently not content with simply brewing his coffee to perfection, Alex Campbell can actually take control of the roast itself thanks to his beautiful fluid bed roasting rig.
His DIY device is constructed using a variety of stainless steel and aluminum components, along with a transparent roasting chamber. A spa blower is employed to suck waste out and agitate beans during the process.
The machine’s heating element is driven by a solid-state relay and a thermocouple provides feedback. An Arduino board is tasked with controlling the system, while user interface and higher-level control are handled via a laptop linked to it over serial.
It’s an amazing design as seen in the two videos below — all to get that perfect cup!
Adnan.R.Khan recently decided to give his room’s sliding door latch an upgrade by designing a mechanism to open and close it, using little more than an Arduino Uno and Bluetooth module.
His automated device is operated via a smartphone app written in MIT App Inventor, and it employs a shield to control a small DC motor. The motor then pulls a cable wrapped around two pulleys in order to move the simple barrel latch in or out.
It’s an amazing display of what can be done with parts at hand and basic tools, and could certainly inspire other home security hacks. Be sure to check out the build process and the setup in action below!
Using an Arduino Nano 33 IoT, Jithin Sanal designed a home monitoring system capable of detecting noxious gases with an MQ2 sensor as well as sensing temperature, pressure, humidity, and ambient light via a BME280 sensor and an LDR. All of this is mounted onto a custom PCB that’s powered by a 9V battery, or one could also use a 9-12V adapter if more convenient.
Data is passed on to Ubidots over WiFi, which provides a configurable dashboard for viewing the readings anywhere in the world. The system can also send notifications via SMS, email, or Telegram to let you know if anything is awry.
For enthusiasts, the Fundamentals Exam is the first tier in the Arduino Certification Program (ACP), designed to test entrants knowledge in Arduino-related electronics, programming, and physical computing.
The exam is available for everyone interested in officially certifying their skills and knowledge on Arduino, that could, for example, be referred to in a resume for academic or professional purposes.
Get your students, colleagues and friends certified!
The Fundamentals Exam is now also open to schools, academic institutions, universities, and companies that are interested in getting their students and employees officially certified!
The Fundamentals Certification offers the right balance of academic excellence and real world skills to give students the confidence and motivation they need to succeed both in educational and professional environments.
It is a great opportunity for companies who are interested in certifying their employees to refresh and add new skills to their repertoire.
El examen de Certificación Fundamentals, está ahora disponible en Español e Italiano
Para entusiastas, el examen de Certificación Fundamentals, es el primer nivel del Programa de certificación Arduino (ACP), diseñado para evaluar el conocimiento de los participantes en electrónica, programación y computación física relacionadas con Arduino.
El examen está disponible para todos los interesados ??en certificar oficialmente sus habilidades y conocimientos en Arduino, que podrían, por ejemplo, mencionarse en un currículum con fines académicos o profesionales.
¡Certifica a tus estudiantes, colegas y equipo de trabajo!
La certificación también está disponible para escuelas, instituciones académicas, universidades y empresas que estén interesadas en certificar oficialmente a sus estudiantes y equipo de trabajo.
La Certificación Fundamentals ofrece el equilibrio adecuado entre excelencia académica y habilidades del mundo real, para brindar a los estudiantes la confianza y la motivación que necesitan para tener éxito tanto en entornos académicos como profesionales.
También es una gran posibilidad para compañías que están interesadas en certificar a su equipo de trabajo para actualizar y agregar nuevas habilidades a su repertorio.
Siamo lieti di annunciare che l’esame per la certificazione Arduino Fundamentals è da adesso disponibile anche in spagnolo e italiano!
Desideriamo rendere accessibile la Certificazione alle scuole, alle istitutuzioni, università e aziende che siano interessate a certificare ufficialmente i propri studenti e dipendenti! La certificazione Arduino Fundamentals offre il giusto equilibrio fra l’acquisizione di abilità accademiche e lavorative, fornendo agli studenti la sicurezza e la motivazione necessarie per riuscire nel mondo accademico e professionale. E’ inoltre un increndibile possibilità per le aziende interessate ad aggionarne, migliorare e/o accrescere le capacità dei propri dipendenti.
