EmotiBit is a wearable sensor module for capturing high-quality emotional, physiological, and movement data. Easy-to-use and scientifically-validated sensing lets you enjoy wireless data streaming to any platform or direct data recording to the built-in SD card. Customize the Arduino-compatible hardware and fully open-source software to meet any project needs!
The Open Book is an open-hardware device for reading books in all the languages of the world. It includes a large screen and buttons for navigation, as well as audio options for accessibility and ports to extend its functionality. Its detailed silkscreen, with the all the manic energy and quixotic ambition of a Dr. Bronner's bottle, aims to demystify the Open Book's own design, breaking down for the curious reader both how the book works, and how they can build one for themselves.
At the core of the Open Book is a SAMD51J19A microcontroller, a powerful ARM Cortex M4 with 512 KB of Flash and 192 KB of RAM. It has 51 pins of GPIO, and the Open Book uses all of them for peripherals and possibilities:
A 400x300 black and white e-paper screen enables the core experience of, y'know, reading.
A MicroSD slot allows for plenty of external storage for files. An offline copy of Wikipedia fits in 64 gigs — Hitchhiker's Guide, anyone?
User input comes from seven buttons on a shift register, plus an eighth button tied directly to one of the SAMD51's interrupt pins.
A dedicated flash chip for languages gives the book room to store glyphs and Unicode data for every language in the Basic Multilingual Plane (which is most of the languages in use today).
A 3.5mm audio jack:
Dual DACs allow for stereo audio output, and the SAMD51 is powerful enough to decode MP3 files on the fly (hello audiobooks)!
Raw input from a headset's in-line mic button lets the book detect up to four inline buttons, depending on the design of the headset...
...and amplified mic input from the inline mic works with TensorFlow Lite to allow recognition of voice commands! Also, like, recording stuff. Rev 4 also adds the ability to shut down the mic, for power saving and privacy purposes.
A QSPI Flash chip and status Neopixel enable CircuitPython use cases.
STEMMA ports allow for the addition of I²C sensors and external analog or digital inputs. You can even run a Neopixel strip off of them, which makes for a decent reading light.
And of course it's a Feather, which means it's battery operated with built-in LiPo charging. It also has a full Feather header, which means you can add wings for everything from sensors to GPS to WiFi to LoRa.
OpenKnit is an open-source, low cost (under 550€), digital fabrication tool that affords the user the opportunity to create his own bespoke clothing from digital files. Starting from the raw material, the yarn, and straight to its end use, a sweater for example, in about an hour. Designing and producing clothes digitally and wearing them can now happen in the very same place, rewarding the user with the ability to make decisions regarding creativity and responsibility.
The DIY Cellphone is a working (albeit basic) cellphone that you can make yourself. It can make and receive phone calls and text messages, store names and phone numbers, and display the time. It builds on the hardware and software in the Arduino GSM Shield but extends it with a full interface, including display, buttons, speaker, microphone, etc. The source files for the cellphone are hosted on GitHub (hardware, software), which also includes an issue list where you can file bug reports or request enhancements.
Reverting to traditional handicrafts is one way to sabotage the throwaway society. In this article, we discuss another possibility: the design of modular consumer products, whose parts and components could be re-used for the design of other products.
Initiatives like OpenStructures, Grid Beam, and Contraptor combine the modularity of systems like LEGO, Meccano and Erector with the collaborative power of digital success stories like Wikipedia, Linux or WordPress.
An economy based on the concept of re-use would not only bring important advantages in terms of sustainability, but would also save consumers money, speed up innovation, and take manufacturing out of the hands of multinationals.
Open-hardware toolkit for real-time eye tracking