Posts with «automatic» label

Voice Controlled Sofa Meets Your Every Beverage Need

It’s often taken for grated, but the modern world is full of luxuries. Home automation, grocery delivery, and even access to the Internet are great tools to have at hand, but are trivial to most of us. If these modern wonders are not enough for you, and the lap of luxury is still missing a certain je ne sais quoi, allow us to introduce you to the ultimate convenience: a voice controlled, beer-dispensing sofa with a built-in refrigeration system.

This is a project from [Garage Avenger] and went through a number of iterations before reaching this level of polish. Metal work on the first version didn’t fit together as expected, and there were many attempts at actual refrigeration before settling on repurposing an actual refrigerator. With those things out of the way, he was able to get to the meat of a project. The couch-refrigerator holds 12 beers, and they are on a conveyor belt which automatically places the next beer onto the automated drawer. When commanded (by voice, app, or remote) the sofa opens the drawer so the occupant can grab one easily without having to move more than an arm. Everything, including the voice recognition module, is controlled by an Arduino, as is tradition.

The attention to detail is excellent as well. The remote control contains a built-in bottle opener, for one, there are backlights and a glass cover for the refrigerator, and the drawer is retracted automatically when it senses the beer has been obtained. We couldn’t ask for much more from our own couches, except maybe that they take us where we want to go. But maybe it’s best to keep these two couch use cases separate for now.

New automatic parachute system, for a water rocket

Primary image

What does it do?

Detects rocket launch, apogee and descend to open a parachute

Hello!

After the previous successful but heavy automatic parachute system*

*(If you didn't see the previous article please visit it here, as it has all the explanations about the electronics and way of working. All improvements are based on that one)

Cost to build

$100, 00

Embedded video

Finished project

Number

Time to build

20 hours

Type

URL to more information

Weight

500 grams

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There Is No Spoon; Automatic Self Stirring Mug

Sometimes it’s helpful to realize the truth that there is no spoon. At least, not with [Ronaldo]’s automatic self-stirring mug. At first it was just a small propeller in the bottom of the mug that turned on by pushing a button in the handle, but this wasn’t as feature-rich as [Ronaldo] hoped it could be, so he decided to see just how deep the automatic beverage-mixing rabbit hole goes.

The first thing to do was to get a microcontroller installed to handle the operation of the motor. The ATtiny13a was perfect for the job since it’s only using one output pin to control the motor, and can be configured to only draw 0.5 microamps in power-saving mode. This ensures a long life for the two AAA batteries that power the microcontroller and the motor.

As far as operation goes, the motor operates in different modes depending on how many times the button in the handle is pushed. It can be on continuously or it can operate at pre-determined intervals for a certain amount of time, making sure to keep the beverage thoroughly mixed for as long as the power lasts. Be sure to check out the video below for a detailed explanation of all of the operating modes. We could certainly see some other possible uses for more interesting beverages as well.


Filed under: cooking hacks
Hack a Day 24 Jan 21:00

New Project: Limit TV Time with an Arduino-Controlled Relay

Most of us spend far too much time in front of the TV. So I designed a system that will automatically limit when and how much the TV can be on.

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The post Limit TV Time with an Arduino-Controlled Relay appeared first on Make: DIY Projects, How-Tos, Electronics, Crafts and Ideas for Makers.

New Project: Build an Automatic Photo Rig for Perfect Panoramas

Make an automatic camera rig for shooting high-resolution panoramas with a point-and-shoot camera.

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The post Build an Automatic Photo Rig for Perfect Panoramas appeared first on Make: DIY Projects, How-Tos, Electronics, Crafts and Ideas for Makers.

DIY Star Trek Automatic Door

Who hasn’t dreamed of have a Star Trek style automatic door in their home (complete with “wooshing” noise)? Now you can build your own with the help of this DIY project and some pneumatics. The pnematic system uses an air compressor, a piston, valves, hoses, infrared sensors, and an Arduino.  The best part about the pneumatics is that the “woosh” noise comes built in – No special effects department needed!  Check out more details about the door.

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