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Arduino + Dualshock2
I’m working on a new project that could use some kind of game controller. I’ve got a few old PS2 controllers lying around so I got really excited when I stumbled on Bill Porter’s PS2X library. It looked pretty straight forward, and I was itching for excuses to practice soldering so I took apart an old PS2 adapter for…
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Yanimator: An AR Character Creator
(Update 1/28/20: This technology is now described under Patent US10546406B2) I’ve made an experimental AR app that turns drawings on paper into a controllable 2D game character. It is able to recognize a blank worksheet. In this prototype, it is trained to look for this one: The worksheet can be printed at any size. There are 12…
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Augmented Toys
The augmented reality SDK Vuforia has a lesser known feature that is able to recognize pre-selected three dimensional objects as-is without calibration ornaments like QR codes. I built a very simple app in Unity to test this functionality. The app uses the device’s camera (in this case an iPhone 6S Plus) to recognize a Skylander toy in real-time. Once the app recognizes…
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A VR Cycling Experience for $40
I’ve made an Arduino thing that can wirelessly talk to a mobile device over BLE and can now meter the revolutions of a wheel with an optical tachometer. I’m using these two hardware features to make a virtual reality (VR) cycling experience and I’ve got a working demo to share! Here’s how this works: First, the Arduino thing is positioned to point at the back tires…
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Measuring Speed with Infrared Light
Since the last progress check, I managed to get an Arduino to talk wirelessly with a custom iOS app via Bluetooth. Outside of the technical feat, it wasn’t a particularly interesting experience so I’ve been spending a lot of time rummaging through electronic shops looking to find a fuller, funner destination with this project. Today’s update is a pit-stop towards one such…
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I Finished a Drawing For Once!
I’m constantly scribbling loose, ugly things on notepads and whiteboards to communicate ideas, but it’s been a long, long time since I can remember actually finishing one proper. I recently picked up a shiny new Surface Pro 4, so I thought I’d end that sad streak with something fun. For the drawing above, I tried an approach I picked up from Marc Burnet’s…
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Arduino and Unity: Talking!
In the last update, I used a free app called Bluefruit LE Connect to facilitate the wireless communication between an iPhone and an Arduino over BLE. It’s a great little app for testing and you could conceivably use it in your project if you don’t require a custom interface, but if you need more control over the software side of…
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Fumbling Around with Arduino and BLE
I picked up the Adafruit nRF8001 Bluefruit LE and followed their super clear, n00b friendly, walkthrough of how to hook everything up to an Arduino UNO.
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Tinkering with Arduino
I bought an Arduino Uno and I’ve been slowly making my way through the tutorials learning about circuits. I started to stray off the beaten path and made a strange timer thing that prints out button presses on an LCD screen with a few custom created characters (arrows). It’s not the most exciting thing in…
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A Next-Gen TV Interface Concept
We all know that the interface for TV is about due for a major upgrade. Clicking your way through long lists and typing on a remote control is a chore that’s been made marginally better with app-based remote controls. But even with these software remotes, the interaction is still inherently indirect and functions like an awkward…