This article outlines the Internet of Things and discusses advances in Physical Computing. Author: Mark Butt    

The Internet will turn 44 this year, with the anniversary of the first email message from UCLA to Stanford. The Internet’s first evolutionary leap came in the form of the World Wide Web with the first commercial browser in 1994. This year, advances in physical computing give an indication of how the Internet is about to radically change our lives, again.

Physical computing means bringing interactive connectivity and logic systems to the common objects around you. Imagine the convergence of robotics, engineering, the web, and common household appliances. Physical computing involves tactile interactions, home automations, and interactive installations.

The Internet of Things (IoT) is here.

The Internet of Things is a term that arose from a presentation by Kevin Ashton in 1999. He was discussing how radio frequency identification (RFID) chips, which have processors for decision-making and communication transmitters, can be embedded into almost anything. Any object in your environment now has the ability to interact with each other and transmit data. Combined with near infinite information processing capacity provided by a wireless Internet signal, every object can have access to all the information we can imagine.

Near infinite information processing may sound like hyperbole, but it is made possible by the distributed computing capacity made possible by web servers. There have been thousands of projects like SETI@home, where individuals connected to the Internet allowed access to their personal computer’s processor. This creates a massively parallel meta-processor to crunch seemingly impossible math problems. In the case of SETI, over 200,000 processors worked simultaneously to scan radio signals from space, searching for signals from extra-terrestrial life.

In recent years, there have been several prototypes of self-driving cars that use road sensors with satellite data to avoid crashes and maintain free traffic flow. M2M (machine to machine communication) will form the backbone of the Internet of Things. For example, your car will radio your kitchen to alert you what to buy on the way home and your lights and heat settings will spring to life as you pull into the driveway. Don’t worry about forgetting your keys because the front door identifies you by the pattern of blood vessels under your face from 6 feet away.

According to Cisco Systems, there will be 25 billion devices connected to the Internet by 2015 and desktop computers will be the minority. If we include near field communication (like Bluetooth and contactless payment systems) and private networks, there will be over a trillion connected devices within two years.

Kansas City, USA, home to outlaws and desperadoes of the Wild West just over 100 years ago, is now on the frontier of the Smart Planet movement. At the end of last year Google went live with experimental free Wi-Fi in Kansas City that runs up to a blinding speed of 1 Gbps. That’s about 1000 times faster than the average smartphone download rates. The test has been so successful that they are rolling-out free Wi-Fi to New York City later this year.

The high speed and low cost of Wi-Fi means more devices will be able to come online sooner this year. One technology that relies on this level of connectivity is the 0.18-micron CMOS image sensors from Medigus. Essentially, this is a disposable miniature camera that you can swallow as a pill and they will wire an individual internal map to your doctor. This is happening right now around the world. Don’t be freaked out, embrace it

Spring Rocket is a Melbourne based Interactive Design & Creative Technology Agency, specialising in interdisciplinary engineering & physical computing.

One of our approaches to rapid prototyping is using a 3D printer that can make a working model of just about anything that can be designed. 3D printers have recently made headlines by producing such imaginative devices as a replacement hand and a biodegradable bicycle. Now anyone can access our fabrication workshop to create small-scale digital displays, web-enabled electronic devices, or cutting edge new forms of media and tech.

The Internet of Things Initiative has collected the latest knowledge and research on the coming revolution in physical computing. In June this year, Helsinki will host Internet of Things week, showcasing advances in physical computing and interconnected devices. We can expect to see designs for a smart-city, with sensors that adjust bus and train schedules immediately based on traffic and usage, business applications for intelligent supply chains, and consumer-friendly devices that learn and adapt to user behaviour. You can expect to see the Internet of Things enter mainstream consciousness this year, and we may begin to wonder how we ever lived without it. “The Internet of Things has the potential to change the world, just as the Internet did. Maybe even more so.” Kevin Ashton. 

This article outlines the rise of DIY electronics & manufacturing and highlights appropriate prototyping platforms. Author: Mark Butt. 

The Do-it-Yourself (DIY) ethos is nothing new. From ambitious homeowners that build and remodel their properties to punk rock musicians making low to mid-fi opuses on four-track recorders, to today’s gadgeteers determined to build tomorrow’s innovative tech products. While the DIY ethos isn’t necessarily new, it is making a massive comeback with regard to manufacturing and electronics.

The rise of DIY electronics projects is based around the idea that the average Joe can build an innovative tech product with nothing but some cheap microcontrollers, a few dollars worth of components and a brilliant idea. The DIY electronics movement is underpinned by the inventors’ spirit of trial and error and most importantly, satisfaction and enjoyment.

Arduino – DIY Electronic Prototyping

On the surface, Arduino is just a little circuit board with some programming capabilities. Beneath the surface it is a powerful electronics prototyping platform that developers are using to change the face of hardware engineering.

Actually, the working definition straight from the Arduino horse’s mouth goes something like, “an open-source electronics prototyping platform based on flexible, easy-to-use hardware and software.” In real-world terms, this essentially means that the Arduino microcrontroller (read: circuit board) is capable of controlling any hardware-powered DIY project you or your creative department can dream up. We’ve used Arduino in many commercial installations, and have never had an Arduino board fail on us during a live activation. That’s much more than I can say for my $4,500 Macbook Pro.

Raspberry Pi – A Programming Learning Tool Gone Wild

Along the lines of the Arduino platform is Raspberry Pi. Like the Arduino platform, Raspberry Pi is completely open source and dirt-cheap. The platform was originally developed by the UK organization, the Raspberry Pi Foundation. The original goal of the platform was to provide a cheap, easy-to-use and accessible programming platform for students all over the world. The initial concept was to give young programmers a little nudge in the right direction.

What makes it unique is the size & components. The other main difference is that Arduino, for all intensive purposes, is a blank slate. Raspberry Pi is functionally, a Linux-powered computer.

It comes stocked with a 700 MHz processor, 256 MBs of RAM, and sells for $25. To put this into perspective, in 2001 Apple put out the Cube, which came with a 450 MHz processor, 64 MBs of RAM and sold for roughly $1800.

Long story short, young programming enthusiasts have access to powerful programming tools for less than an expensive set of Legos.

Open Source & DIY: A Perfect Marriage of Technology and Innovation

Emile Petrone of GigaOM poses the question: Will this new DIY tech revolution produce the next Apple? The short and easy answer is, most likely.

Learning has taken a backseat to innovation as young developers learn to build complex solutions with very simple tools.In recent months, Raspberry Pi has received some attention, as developers have been able to get the Android operating system up and running on the platform. In the late 70s, Steve Jobs & Co released the first computing kit, which is essentially what the Arduino and Raspberry Pi boards are offering. Ironically, this new marriage of hardware and innovation is powered by open source technology.

Conclusion

Hardware is doing for this new generation what the Internet did for programmers and tech enthusiasts in the 1990s and 2000s. As the DIY movement continues to explode, more companies are and will continue to make hardware and programming tools more accessible and affordable than ever.

While some analysts are haphazardly pronouncing the death of hardware, programmers & creative technologists are clearly demonstrating otherwise. On one hand, these same analysts do have a point. Hardware prices are dropping, and it’s near impossible to turn a profit these days. On the other hand, that’s not really the point. The point is that lowered hardware prices are fuelling innovation, and that’s what matters.

Although the watch isn’t available in kit form, the designers have published all the PCB schematic and design files so you can have your own PCBs made up, and the Arduino sketch is available to get the watch operational. Here is an example in action:

From a quick observation this isn’t a project for the absolute beginner, however it is an excellent exercise in product manufacturing on a tiny scale – as you work through having the PCB made, part sourcing, assembly and programming. For more information visit the watch project page: http://wiki.makerbot.com/makerbot-watch.

Not only does it allow walk-around control (with a long cable) you can control speed, acceleration/deceleration rates, set maximum speeds, enjoy cruise control, roll to stop and more. This would also be great for allowing children to use the control – you can limit the maximum speed to avoid a scale tragedy.

Watch the following video for a quick demonstration of the control features: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=68a0-eaYnDE

The ability to control trains in this manner offers the ability to combine many functions into the one piece of portable hardware, and also create your own versions of control. For more information review the project page here:

By following the tutorial by Instructables user ‘Uncoventionalhacker’ you can transplant the hardware from almost any donor wireless mouse to bring that old mouse back to a second useful life. If possible, use a Bluetooth mouse as this will allow use with a greater variety of PCs without needing specific dongles at the computer end.

Nevertheless the modification is quite simple and involves carefully removing the old mechanical ball-reading circuitry from the original mouse, then moving the same assembly from the new, laser mouse. Be sure to heed the instructions with regards to preparing the donor board and especially holding down the laser tracking lens – otherwise it won’t work correctly once transplanted.

With some older mice such as the Apple one shown below – there is only one button. However with Windows-based PCs there is software you can download to emulate a second button, or with some very careful drilling and modification – you could split the large button into two. So to get started, check out the project page here:

Another enthusiast has also built upon Chris’ project and mounted the entire kit into a miniature arcade cabinet:

Although the development environment is not as simple as the ones used for other microcontroller platforms, it’s a great entry point for those coming from Microsoft desktop programming environments and generally more popular with that cohort as opposed to embedded hardware engineers & hackers.

The code for other classic video games isn’t too hard to recreate, or exists already with a bit of searching – which leads to the possibility of making your own miniature video game system. The hardest part will be deciding how to charge the players! In the meanwhile, to get started visit Chris’ website, click here. 

Although it sounds odd, the Yarn Monster simply consists of two parts – the Monster itself and the remote control. The monster contains an Arduino board and a stepper motor which rotates a spindle to draw the wool in and wind it in the usual pattern. The second part is the remote control, which allows speed and direction changes for the winding. You can see it in action through the following video:

The remote control sends the data using Xbee wireless data transceiver modules, which can often have a range of over twenty metres. Apart from being a fun example of a tool for an otherwise unloved task, the Yarn Monster has a sense of personality and has been made to suit the name. Plus by following the instructions, hopefully your Arduino knowledge will in improve. Finally, you can always mount the winder in a more conventional enclosure for simplicity and sanity’s sake.  For the plans, notes, and Arduino sketch visit the Yarn Monster site here: http://unionbridge.org/design/yarn-monster

The hardware is very simple, considering the Raspberry Pi has GPIO ports that can be easily controlled. Therefore the only remaining interface is a simple relay circuit between the GPIO and the lights themselves. The only caveat is that you may be working with mains current with the traffic lights, so ensure the work is completed by a licensed electrician. And for the final product, watch the demonstration in the following video:

Even if you don’t use the monitoring software as the project author does, the tutorial is still a great look at controlling 230V devices using a Raspberry Pi. With the appropriate python script the lights could display email inbox status, twitter responses or even stock market alerts. So to get started check out the project page here:

http://www.kmggroup.ch/?p=204

The beauty of this project is that Reginald can be complete controlled using the one interface via a processing-based GUI on a PC. Furthermore the communications are encrypted which blocks anyone from logging into Reginald’s IP address and taking over. Here is an example of controlling Reginald from the PC:

Finally, although this project doesn’t fall in the arena for beginners – the creator has documented absolutely everything you need to know to make your own version. From the hardware, code for various platforms, circuit schematics and networking know-how, it’s all available at:

http://www.instructables.com/id/Reginald-a-UDP-surveillance-bot-control-via-the-/?ALLSTEPS

The whole concept seemed ludicrous; however by attaching wires to the cockroach’s abdomen it can then be controlled with small electrical currents. By then fitting them with tiny cameras or a radio transmitter, the cockroaches cam can be controlled and used to explore new areas and environments. You can see a quick demonstration of the RC cockroach here:

We’re glad to see that it works, and for the first time in a long (or even any) time a positive use for cockroaches has been found. Considering small HD-capable video camera units can be less than 25 x 25mm – the cockroach can be sent into some dark hole or disaster area, and take recordings of the area and other measurements with other sensors if necessary. They’re certainly creepy yet technological things of interest  – so click here for more information: http://web.ncsu.edu/abstract/science/wms-cockroach-steering/