Sam Baumgarten and his friend have developed a pretty rad robotic gripper with the help of Arduino and 3D printing. The gripper itself consists of three large hobby servos joined to the fingers with a linkage. The underactuated fingers have a force sensor under each contact point, while the control glove is equipped with tiny vibrating motors at the fingertips. This, of course, provides haptic feedback to ensure that the user doesn’t crush anything–the greater the pressure, the stronger the motors vibrate.

The gripper is mounted to a handle with abrasive tape–the same kind found on staircases and skateboards. The tape is also used on each finger for optimal gripping. A box at the base of the pole houses all of the electronics, which include an Arduino Pro Mini for controlling the addressable LEDs on top, another Arduino for handling the communication and fingers, and a battery for power.

Aside from the vibration motors, the glove features flexible resistors on the back of the fingers, an LED strip for visualization, a breakout board for measuring the resistance from the flex sensors, a battery, an Arduino Uno for processing, and an XBee module for transmitting the signals to the Arduino in the gripper.

If you think this sounds awesome, wait until you see it in action. Baumgartnen has shared a demo of the project, along with a detailed breakdown of his build. Kudos to Hackaday for finding this incredible piece of work!

A few weeks ago, an announcement was posted on the Arduino Forum mentioning new improvements on the software side of the Arduino/Genuino 101. With this release, the board–which was developed in collaboration with Intel–is reaching its full potential, with not only better code generation but unlocking useful features to make your sketches even more interactive as well.

You can easily upgrade the core using the Arduino IDE’s Board Manager (pictured below), while Arduino Create users will be automatically updated, so no action is required–the cool thing about the cloud!

In more detail:

• The GCC compiler has been updated to support hardware extensions to the ARC EM core in the Intel® Curie™ module. This provides significant improvements in floating point operations, bit shifting, and other operations to enhance Sketch performance.

• The Arduino/Genuino 101 platform offers 2MB Flash storage onboard, which is now enabled for user sketches.

• An experimental driver has been implemented to enable the I2S interface via the CurieI2S library. Connecting the I2S bus to an external DAC (digital to analog converter) allows users to play high-quality music (HiFi).

Other improvements and bug fixes:

• Motion Sensor: Several sample sketches, like MotionDetection, have been implemented to demonstrate the application of the IMU data
• Bluetooth LE: Several new examples for BLE peripheral library added
• IMU: Correct motion detection setting implemented
• Library CurieTimerOne APIs are now compatible with the TimerOne library

For comprehensive release notes refer to the Intel Open Source Technology Center on GitHub.

If you’ve ever wanted your own Times Square-like zipper, albeit a little smaller, you’re in luck. That’s because Josh Levine has created a giant scrolling LED display costing around $15 per foot, which consists of an Arduino Uno, a power supply, and seven programmable NeoPixel strips. The Maker also used a few pieces of plywood with a couple of aluminum angles glued to the top and bottom to enhance its sturdiness and appearance.

Equipped with 2,688 RGB pixels, the 12-foot-long sign is capable of showing text at 80 frames per second. Aside from basic scrolling messages, other features include a countdown timer with lookup-based gamma correction, column-by-column color control, custom fonts, sprite graphics with animation, and more.

The build is so simple, that you should be able to figure it out from looking at the pictures. Stick the strips to something, add some power, connect the Arduino data out pins to the strips’ data in pins.

The secret sauce is in the software. You can read about the parallel processing technique used here.

Bigger is better, right? Levine chose this size for his ticker only because it was the longest thing that could make it down his staircase–plus 400-pixels-long gives a refresh rate of 80 frames per second, which is just fast enough for nice animations. That being said, the Maker does note that he’d love to one day build a 100-foot-long sign “if you could find him a long enough surface to mount it on.” Until then, you can see it in action below and read all about the project on its page.

Ryan Bates has built a miniaturized vending machine from scratch using an Arduino Uno, four continuous rotation servos, and a Nokia 5110 LCD. The device, dubbed “Venduino,” includes four input buttons to make a selection, an LED indicator, and a 12V light strips to illuminate the inside of the cabinet. Whether it’s candies, toiletries, game cartridges, or miscellaneous items you’re looking to dispense, the possibilities are endless. Simply insert a coin, choose a product, and repeat.

Sound like something you’d like in your dorm room or cubicle? Bates has shared his code and schematics, and provided a detailed breakdown of his build below.

Earlier today, Arduino co-founder David Cuartielles participated in DSI4EU’s policy workshop entitled “Shaping the Future of Digital Social Innovation in Europe,” which gathered digital social innovators and policy makers to inspire and connect with different networks. During the workshop, Cuartielles and other leaders demonstrated clear examples of digital social innovation throughout Europe, along with some best practices and hands-on tips.

How is Digital Social Innovation (DSI) connected with Maker Culture, you ask? DSI is a type of collaborative innovation in which users and communities collaborate with digital technologies to co-create knowledge and solutions for a wide range of social needs at a scale that was unimaginable before the rise of the Internet. The organizations and projects identified and mapped by DSI4EU can be grouped within six broad domains and projects like Arduino are empowering people to develop New Ways of Making thanks to open hardware and educational programs!

DSI4EU is a support action in the H2020 Collective Awareness Platforms program. The initiative will grow and scale the current Digital Social Innovation network of projects, organizations, and individuals bringing together social entrepreneurs, hackers, communities, and academics working on key DSI fields such as the Maker Movement, the collaborative economy, open democracy and digital rights. It’s fostering digital innovations for social good, helping communities share data, collaborate to solve societal problems, and scale their initiatives focusing on open and distributed technologies and new sustainable business models. Finally, it’s representing the building blocks for a new participatory innovation model for Europe, a more decentralised web and an inclusive and sustainable society, including a radical approach to scaling, extending and connecting the DSI network in Europe.

Food Screening is an Arduino-based project inspired by the act of watching films while eating meals alone, and was conceived especially for people living on their own abroad. The installation–developed by visual communicator Fongyee Ng in collaboration with Han–gyeol Lee–uses light and distance sensors to create an interaction with each food item, which triggers a snippet from a film that mimics the sound effects of consuming the meal, making eating alone a more entertaining experience.

The CALEIDUINO is an Arduino-based digital and sound reactive kaleidoscope, designed to serve as a toy, an art object, and a tool for teaching electronics and programming in a playful yet creative way.

At the heart of CALEIDUINO is a PCB for connecting an Arduino Nano, a TFT 1.8 “display, an analog 3-axis accelerometer GY-61, a piezoelectric, a switch, and a 9V battery–all of which are housed inside a hexagonal methacrylate case. Just like in any kaleidoscope, t three mirrors in triangular prism shape, while an accelerometer collects a user’s movement to generate the psychedelic graphics and sounds.

In terms of software, the CALEIDUINO uses the Arduino IDE along with the Adafruit GFX and ST7735 libraries. The project is entirely open source and is the work of artist José Manuel González. You can read more about the device here, or see it in action below.

Anyone who has ever watched Ghostbusters is surely familiar with the iconic proton pack–the combination of a handheld wand and backpack-sized particle accelerator that’s the weapon of choice for weakening ghosts and aiding in capturing them. And with a remake of the ‘80s flick coming out in a few days, what better time for a DIY prop equipped with full-featured user control and Hollywood-like effects?

That’s exactly what John Fin has done using a bunch of household items, including a five gallon bucket for the cyclotron, a garlic powder container for the N-Filter, a hairbrush for the PKE meter, as well as spark plug wire, cardboard tubes, pill bottles, handles from power tool cases, and a couple electrical boxes and miscellaneous parts.

The proton pack is based on an Arduino Uno along with a Seeed Studio SD card shield containing .WAV files. The Arduino supplies all of the sound and light effects, except for the cyclotron lights which use a 555 timer and 4017 decade counter. The sound is amplified through an old computer speaker board, while two homemade boards control the lights.

The red lights on the cyclotron area are supposed to be asymmetrical. This project took two weekends to make, one for the pack and one for the gun. It is attached to a homemade  PVC “ALICE” frame. I tried to make it as light as possible, the whole unit weighs just 13 lbs. Its not fully “screen accurate” but more like a “Model 3″ version. The addition of a bunch of actual electronic components make it look more like it is a  functional unit instead of a prop.

The power meter on the gun and pack are synced to show an accumulating “charge” while a generator sound plays. When armed, the lights on the gun blink and the generator sound intensifies. When it’s fired, the barrel lights and the blast sound plays as the charge meter decreases to zero. It then shuts off and recharges.

Russian artist ::vtol:: is no stranger to the Arduino blog. His latest project–which was designed for the Polytechnic Museum Moscow and Ars Electronica Linz–is an autonomous light-music installation called “Divider.” The wall-mounted soundscape consists of seven lasers that horizontally send rays through 42 fans, which act as modulators to turn the light signals into rhythmic impulses. Seven photo sensors on the end monitor the presence or absence of light, while four Arduino Mega boards control the system.

The lasers serve a “independent binary variables” which become the basis for all sound composition. Since the fans can each spin at variable speeds, this allows for a constant shift of modulation phases and a wide range of noises.

According to ::vtol::, the Divider is inspired by Léon Theremin’s Rhythmicon, the world’s first rhythm machine. The 1931 device also used rotating discs to interrupt light rays and optical sensors to pick up light and produce rhythms.

Sound interesting? Wait until you see it perform below! You can also check it out here.

Grand Slam tournaments, like Wimbledon, always prompt a discussion around the sometimes-disconcerting noises tennis players make on the court. Although some may argue that grunting helps apply the maximal force when striking the ball, others believe the shrieking is completely unnecessary and downright annoying. There are even top names in the game whose screams routinely top 100 decibels–only slightly less than the sound of a power saw–which has led many to call into question whether or not the behavior is actually a form of cheating.

Mindful of this, Maker Seiya Kobayashi has come up with a hilarious project that is the perfect blend of fun and function: a racquet that grunts whenever it’s swung. A user simply selects one of four notable noisemakers–Serena Williams, Maria Sharapova, Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal–and the aptly named Grunting Racket will take care of the rest.

In theory, this allows you to focus on your footwork and making proper contact, while the combination of an Arduino Pro Mini, an accelerometer, and speaker emits the obnoxious sounds. Additional components include a LiPo battery, an Adafruit Audio FX Sound Board, and a button on the grip for choosing between grunters.

The project has come a long way since its earliest prototype, which only used an accelerometer, FX Sound Board, and an Arduino Uno connected to a PC.  Now, the electronics are all neatly housed inside the racquet’s handle. While you won’t find a gadget like this around the All England Club anytime soon, you can check it out in action below!