Measuring brainwaves is not just for neuroscientists anymore – new affordable consumer level EEG devices ( & even some toys) do a respectable job at measuring tiny voltage pulses given off by neurons firing in the brain.
Cool – but how shall we use these new found sensory powers? To automatically compose electronic music, of course! Those interested in listening to beats made by their own brains (with help from a MindSet device) can download and run the MindSet Beat Sequencer code for Processing. The software has not been optimized/streamlined as of yet, but if you familiarize yourself with the required proMIDI & MindSetProcessing libraries, it will likely make sense. Those without a MindSet might consider modifying the Beat Sequencer code to automatically generate MIDI loops by choosing random patterns every second or so (fun!). As I mentioned in the video, I struggled with recurring connectivity issues between the MindSet and Processing within Mac OS 10.6.7. (still unsure as to a cause, though a snafu in the serial RXTX library seems possible) Removing the device from Bluetooth preferences, shutting down, rebooting, and re-pairing the device was my only therapy. Sean Montgomery (author of the Biosensing Primer in MAKE Volume 26) assures me he had no such issues using WIndows. Subscribe to the MAKE Podcast in iTunes, download the m4v video directly, or watch it on YouTube and Vimeo. 
Does your bot have tons of character? Does it make you laugh uncontrollably or pat it on the back for being so clever? Then certainly your bot deserves the chance to appear on the pages of MAKE Volume 27, the upcoming Robot issue. We’re running a fun contest in search of the most entertaining robot you’ve made. The rules are simple: 1. Come up with an entertaining, original robot with tons of character.
2. Document your build step-by-step with clear instructions, photos, and a video of the robot in action, then share it on Make: Projects.
3. Send an email to robots@makeprojects.com with a link to your Make: Projects entry when you're done. Easy! Check out the original post for more details. Don’t have your build steps documented? The in-action video is the most important part, so give it a go and post your video up on Make: Projects for your chance to win. 
We’ve had some great feedback lately to our contest questions, so we’ve decided to throw the door wide open on the latest element14 giveaway and see what flies in! The comments on the entry page are rocking along great, so far, but we want your input, too! So now’s the time to dust off your “I always wished MAKE would…” file, flip open the cover, and let us know what’s inside. We’ve got ten subs to give away, so there’s plenty to go ’round. Thanks for your time and attention! More:
The Make: Arduino page. 
And you thought the iTunes EULA was pretty demanding? “You are NOT allowed to commit suicide: Workers in Chinese iPad factories forced to sign pledges” - Factories making sought-after Apple iPads and iPhones in China are forcing staff to sign pledges not to commit suicide, an investigation has revealed. At least 14 workers at Foxconn factories in China have killed themselves in the last 16 months as a result of horrendous working conditions.Many more are believed to have either survived attempts or been stopped before trying at the Apple supplier’s plants in Chengdu or Shenzen. After a spate of suicides last year, managers at the factories ordered new staff to sign pledges that they would not attempt to kill themselves, according to researchers. And they were made to promise that if they did, their families would only seek the legal minimum in damages.
Pictured above, nets outside the Foxconn factory. If we all knew how and where everything we enjoyed was made, would we reconsider some of our purchases? It’s completely “black box” to all of us for the most part, who knows how much people are paid or what they need to agree to when making our iGadgets. Are you more or less likely get the new iMac knowing that the workers who made it needed to sign anti-suicide agreements? As a commenter pointed out, it’s not just Apple that uses Foxconn, pretty much everyone who makes things in major numbers seems to. Post your thoughts up in the comments. Related: 
1 Million Workers. 90 Million iPhones. 17 Suicides. Who’s to Blame? 
The All Terrain Bunny, or ATB for short, is a wheelchair for a paraplegic baby rabbit designed by young Liam O’Rourke in Tucson, AZ. Good going! When the O’Rourke family of Tucson found a couple of Easter-time bunnies in their back yard, they knew right away that something wasn’t quite right. There was a reason the mother rabbit abandoned them. Paul O’Rourke realized one bunny they named Joe had no use of his hind legs. Paul and his family helped nurse the bunnies back to health, but then they went one step further to help the paraplegic bunny. Paul’s son Liam designed and built a small cart for Joe to help him move around a little easier. The red wagon with yellow wheels took some getting used to, but ultimately seemed to improve his mobility. After Joe and his brother were feeling a bit better, the O’Rourke family took them to a wildlife rescue center.
[Thanks, Lish!] More: Dachshund Wheelchair 
OK, so, maybe the fact that, under vacuum, Scotch tape will emit enough hard x-rays to image the bones in your finger is slightly more impressive, but this is still a pretty cool trick from YouTuber TheFarmacyMan. My off-the-cuff explanation: Glass is frosted because of tiny imperfections in the surface, which refract passing light a’whichaways. The tape adhesive fills ‘em in and, because its outer surface is flat, the rays can pass through more or less straight again. Frosting on both sides of the glass would presumably require tape on both sides for the effect to work. [via Boing Boing] 
Rob Torcellini of Eastford, CT, built this valve for controlling water in his aquaponics system. I love all the clever mechanical tricks found inside! This is a sequencing / indexing valve that I designed a couple of years ago. This uses a pinching mechanism to stop the flow of water. It is able to pass solids and keep operating if there is a clog elsewhere in the plumbing. I decided that it would be too expensive to develop and would show everyone how it works!
More: 
Mike Brandl’s Globe Plotter can draw the shapes of the continents on a white ball. For this robot the coordinates of the continents were prepared as a zigzag line, drawn with a green felt tip pen. After the continents are drawn the robot switches colors from green to black. With this pen the continents are labeled, AS for Asia, AF for Africa, NA for North America, SA for South America and EU for the European Union. After switching to the blue pen the oceans are labeled, PAC for the Pacific, ATL for the Atlantic, IND for the Indian Ocean. The Globe Plotter uses one NXT intelligent brick where all the coordinates of the globe are stored. Two motors are used for tilting and rotating the ball. The third motor has a double function. It selects the desired colour to draw with and it lifts the pen when not needed. One touch sensor is attached on the frame to detect the initial position of the three felt tip pens. When the globe is finished it is mounted on a special holder made out of LEGO TECHNIC elements.
[Via The NXT STEP] More Recent Articles | |
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