Arducorder, Next Open Source Science Tricorder-like Device, Nears Completion 56
upontheturtlesback writes: The Arducorder Mini, an Arduino-compatible pocket-sized handheld sensing tool and the next in line of open source science tricorder-like devices designed by Dr. Peter Jansen, is nearing completion. Where the previous models have included about a dozen sensors spanning atmospheric, electromagnetic, and spatial readings, an exciting video of the new prototype shows this model includes sensors for spectroscopy, low-resolution thermal imaging, and radiation sensing. The development is open with the project build logs and most recent source schematics, board layouts, and firmware available on github. This project is an entry in the Hack a Day Prize for a trip to space.
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I guess this explains your presence.
Interesting. But might end up as more of a toy. (Score:5, Insightful)
As said this could be an interesting device. But I'm not really sure what this will allow anyone to do. Sure it's all well and good that you can collect data with it, but you'll have to be able to interpret this data into something that's useful. And that's not even touching the fact that this thing would be fragile as hell without a very well design and weather proofed case.
But as with any project like this I comment the designers for thinking up a new and interesting device. And who knows. Maybe the next generation of device might be useful.
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I comment the designers for thinking up a new and interesting device
They didn't think up a new and interesting device. They're trying to duplicate something they saw on a sci-fi TV show, thats primary use was exploration of alien planets - not exactly something I'd use on a regular basis. This is a solution in search of a problem - and it doesn't even do what it's supposed to do worth a damn.
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They're trying to duplicate something they saw on a sci-fi TV show, thats primary use was exploration of alien planets
Some places on Earth are just as alien as anything you saw on Trek. How explored is the ocean floor?
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How explored is the ocean floor?
Or, for that matter, downtown LA?
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It doesn't have to be alien like.
The main purpose was to determine if the enviroment was hostile to them. Of course they did other crap but think about where we need to know if the enviroment is hostile.
Think off fire response, motor vehicle accidents, threat assesments for dignitaries, yet another way to find electronic listening devices, and so on.
Of course it might need a little work before it is ready and reliable but there is a use that may be right around tbe corner- litteraly
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I can already think of four or five uses for this. Things I'd want to use it for, and that I can see from the video I'd be able to make use of without any extensive training.
Suggesting this doesn't have real utility only demonstrates a severe lack of imagination.
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No, the tricorder's primary use was exposition, not exploration.
TV Show Watcher: What the heck is going on there?
Star Trek Character: (consults tricorder) There appears to be a radiation surge from other there, indicating a portal will soon appear and introduce this week's source of conflict.
TV Show Watcher: Thanks, informative tricorder!
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As said this could be an interesting device. But I'm not really sure what this will allow anyone to do.
The point isn't what you can do with it, the point is that it's fun to build it and to experiment with all of the sensors. Perhaps that experimentation will spark some ideas for building things that actually are useful, but even that's a second-order concern.
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As said this could be an interesting device. But I'm not really sure what this will allow anyone to do.
The point isn't what you can do with it, the point is that it's fun to build it and to experiment with all of the sensors. Perhaps that experimentation will spark some ideas for building things that actually are useful, but even that's a second-order concern.
This.
What happened to the slashdot of old?
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What happened to the slashdot of old?
Kids these days, that's what...
Now; welcome to my lawn...
We don't need no stinkin' multimeter! (Score:2)
--The multimeter could be an interesting device. But I'm not really sure what this will allow anyone to do. Sure it's all well and good that you can collect data with it, but you'll have to be able to interpret this data into something that's useful. --
The devices already all have uses, but scientific instruments are typically expensive. Something like this could potentially replace a whole lot of instruments, just as the multimeter did, and it could also be cheap enough to be useful for school or home s
tricoder-LIKE (Score:2)
Pff... (Score:2)
A tricorder's nice and all, but you wanna see real technological innovation? Here, I got your technological innovation right here:
https://vine.co/v/O7jjJMi5wTa [vine.co]
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A tricorder's nice and all, but you wanna see real technological innovation? Here, I got your technological innovation right here:
https://vine.co/v/O7jjJMi5wTa [vine.co]
He's dead, Jim.
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The killer feature (Score:3)
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X-rays though I don't think are a viable general-purpose option. Firstly it would be ridiculously dangerous to allow people to walk around with sufficiently powerful ionising radiation sources - ask Madame Curie about the dangers of X-rays. More to the point though X-rays don't bounce of all that much except for very glancing blows (which wouldn't send the reflected ray back to you) - they mostly either pass through things or get absorbed, which means your receiver has to be on the opposite side of the th
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They also don't have very good penetrating power and still rely on exposing people to dangerous ionizing radiation. It's not as if you can image someone's bones using the naturally-occurring X-rays in the environment, unless that person happens to be standing naked on the moon.
radar, backscatter , sometimes ultrasound (Score:4)
Check out ground penetrating radar. Also, TSA uses backscatter, which works in a similar way - it doesn't REQUIRE anything to be behind the subject, you get a clearer image if you have a plain background (where plain means uniform reflection of the frequency used). Ultrasound works some some applications, but the image is rather blurry unless you have a very expensive unit.
I don't know if either is available in an inexpensive, low resolution hobbyist version. I'd bet there are some old units, two generations behind, on ebay. Now I'm off to Google for hobbyist radar .
A tricorder which combines low-quality short- range radar, backscatter, infrared and ultrasound might be very useful - infrared would see pipes in the wall, maybe the combination of radar and ultrasound would show the studs, etc.
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Terahertz radar (Score:4, Interesting)
Low-cost terahertz radar imaging [wikipedia.org] is going to be very useful in handheld devices. You really can see a short distance into many materials. Great for seeing pipes and electrical wiring in walls. The day will come when that's a standard tool one buys at Home Depot.
Until that's working, a cooled IR imager would be useful. Those are great for finding heat leaks in houses, but currently cost too much.
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Soon to be nicknamed the 'Nudie-cam.'
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Soon to be nicknamed the 'Nudie-cam.'
Obligatory (SFW) pic [modernsurvivalblog.com] worth 1K words. [Google image search result for "Terahertz imaging"].
Note to self: THz-camo underwear market will be big. Get in early.
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YES; Radar (Score:2)
For $10, you can buy a radar-equipped stud-finder and use it to locate the frame behind your sheetrock.
Laser rangefinders can also locate distance to laser-reflective sources and there are many other similar technologies, such as those used in autofocus cameras.
I don't know of any portable technology that could be used to find a broken bone without exposing people to ionizing radiation, but I'm sure we'll figure it out one day.
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Sure, you may look cool and sound OK tethered to a game machine but in the end you are slapping 4 plastic buttons.
With Guitar Hero, you are stuck just imitating someone else, while at the end of the day the Arduino still contains a programmable microcontroller that can solve new, original problems. I had not used one until about 6 months ago, when a friend was trying to start up a project that would eventually be maintained and expanded by students. He came to me to get a skeleton hardware setup going for demo purposes, as I had plenty of other mcu experience. I had a basic program up and running in less than a minu
Re:Arduyawn (Score:4, Insightful)
What do you think was limiting it? You think someone who wants to design a (say) 15GHz sampling oscilloscope will stop because of the Arduino?
On the other hand, why not use an Arduino? I don't need a 32 bit monster "micro" controller running embedded Linux to flash the headlights on my RC car. I use a bare-bones PIC but someone who is happy with the "get it done" approach of an Arduino, what is wrong with that?
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you're right, that's way too much computer for typical simple embeded app. a four bit S1C60 should be more than enough in most cases
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That's an excellent idea, until you want something that the big businesses won't make because the demand isn't high enough and/or there's not enough profit to be made.
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YEAH! Give up any form of creativity or control! Let's keep anything innovative or interesting out of the hands of normal, every day people! What the heck do they know? Let Sony and Microsoft and Apple make things, because they're infinitely more creative and innovative than this guy, who made a neat looking toy that looks fun to use and enjoyable to put together! Screw all that! Be happy with the nondescript thing in the box on the shelf, that everyone else has, too, so you don't have to think on your own!
Theremin module would be cool (Score:1)
It would be really cool to see a Theremin-based monitor for this, like this site:
https://www.googlesciencefair.com/projects/en/2014/04d4d5dd602bdab802a76b48c24b3e1e29679611a5bfa55c34ed4f40df8294cf
They talk about being able to monitor more than just breathing with it.
Thermo Scientific X-Ray Fluorescence.. (Score:2)
Ghost Hunters (Score:2)
Doesn't matter if they don't have a fucking clue how it actually works, it'll be a status symbol for the disenfranchised-with-reality crowd who love to play scientist.
I used to be one of those people interested in ghost hunting, until I got more involved with it, and saw the sheer amount of wishful thinking, ignorance, and general lack of logic applied.