Brady Clark and Mykle Hansen made this nifty DIY speed vest for bikers that displays a light-up readout of the wearer’s speed. The vest works thanks to an Arduino open source computer, wheel speed sensor, nine-volt battery, and electroluminescent display. Hansen and Clark describe the speed vest as a “bicycle safety device and advocacy tool.” I don’t really see how this vest does all that. It does manage to make the wearer look like a tool though. I can’t imagine anyone actually wearing this, but the work these guys did to make it happen is still very impressive.

Link (via)

Twitter users take note: you can now tweet to ring a doorbell. While I’m not a Twitter user or fan of the service, I can appreciate how useful of a hack this is for people who can’t knock because their hands are full or something of the sort. The project is built around an Arduino, which is another why it’s so awesome. It’s a really easy project and even an Arduino novice could whip it up in an hour.

Of course, if anyone can tweet your doorbell you’re going to be in for a rough week.

Link

Check out this impressive real-time music visualization system. We already know that the Arduino is capable of pretty much anything your brain can fathom and then some, including this sweet DIY project that’ll turn any mundane stage band into a star-bound success. The amount of hardware that has gone into this visual output system is extensive but well worth it.

If you’re in a band but your stage act sucks and you want to get your foot in the door then you need to become like KISS. No, I don’t mean you need excessive pyrotechnics or fake blood to put on a great show. All you need is an Arduino, a Bluetooth adapter, a couple of webcams, a network card and piezo sensors. You’ll be off putting on shows that even GWAR would be jealous of.

Link (via)

We’ve seen a lot of neat stuff made with the Arduino processor, like that Mad Hatter top hat or the gigantic keyboard. With the infinite possibilities the Arduino offers, where are all the games made for this development platform?

Enter the ArduGame, a hand held device that runs a small game that has yet to be named. Using an OLED display and the controls of an old Sony PSP, the folks at BricoGeek have crafted a fine piece of gaming hardware that could potentially put the portable Atari 2600 to shame. It finally proves that the Arduino is a fun and flexible tool for game programming.

Link (via)

Who would’ve thought all it took is an Arduino, a standard magnetic stripe reader, a display and a little code to be able to read the data stored on magnetic stripe cards such as your VISA card.  I can’t begin to imagine how this DIY provided by Instructables could be abused.  No one is doing fraudulent things with an Arduino LED hat and the worst that could happen with an Arduino KITT in your car is people calling you “The Hoff.”

Turn this card reader portable and you’ve got yourself an identification theft device that’ll fit in your pocket.  The digital age is a dangerous time, a dog eat dog world. Do your part and make it as hectic as possible for the rest of mankind.

Link (via)

Found on Youtube, here’s a cool video of a guy who used 18 LEDs and an Arduino to fade the lights on a project case. The end result? A machine looking very similar to Knight Rider’s KITT. If you want to build your own, the creator, John Tokash, has included a HOWTO and Arduino code on his website. Get buildin’, Hoff!

Link

Check out this Arduino-powered top hat I found on YouTube. Stellar!

Link

So I got my very first Arduino in the mail two nights ago. In less than one day, I was able to create a simple program and circuit that plays back any set of musical notes I want. I can then modify pitch, frequency and delay time all with potentiometers I have rigged up to the Arduino. Coding is extremely easy, so it didn’t take long to modify some free code found on the ‘net. In the above video, I’m demoing the unit on my kitchen table with a 9V battery as a standalone unit. This means that if I ditched the breadboard and connected everything for good via solder, the device would run self-sufficiently.

Anyways, I will post a HOWTO this weekend if there’s any interest in making your own chiptune maker. You’ll need a USB Arduino, some potentiometers, wiring, resistors, a speaker and a breadboard. Some LEDs wouldn’t hurt either. Experiment and see what you can come up with!

Your house plants are withering. You have two options: put them out in the sun or build a gigantic robotic arm that takes up half of your living space. Lively plants at the cost of sleeping in the bathtub doesn’t sound too bad either.

The Bartlett School of Architecture showcased their “Experiments in Time” exhibit, which included this steel monstrosity strapped with an Arduino Lilypad controller to tilt a disc into sunlight.  Seriously, all you have to do is pick your house plants up, walk outside and place them down on the ground. You’ll be set, they’ll be healthy and you get to spend the night in your bed without sharing rent with a robotic arm.

Link (via)

Editor’s Note: SEATTLE!!

Who doesn’t love a good POV device? Watching designs come out of spinning lights is always a pleasure for people of all ages. Now you can build one on the cheap and with an Arduino if you own one. Materials are relatively easy to acquire and the results look decent.

Link (via)