Tag Archives: RBPi

The Raspberry Pi MeARM

Arms are a favorite with robotic enthusiasts. The number of joints in an arm ensures this. For instance, an arm can be made to rotate a full circle, and bend to almost at right angles. Each finger on an arm can be manipulated independently, and each finger can have at least three joints. Therefore, an arm with even two fingers and an opposing thumb can pick up objects—with pressure sensing. A simple project such as an arm can become as complicated as one can make it.

The above reasons made the original MeARM kit a veritable success. It was a pocket sized robot arm and budding Raspberry Pi (RBPi) enthusiasts quickly latched on to it. The design was simple, an open-source. It needed only three parts, the servomotors, screws, and the laser-cut parts. This simplicity spread the design round the world, making it massively successful. Although parents were skeptical of its complexity, children loved it. Its makers, the Bens, are now back with a new project, the MeARM Pi.

The new MeARM Pi, like its predecessor, is also simple enough for children to build it themselves. The RBPi gives the arm its hardware and processing power making the whole project a pleasant, fun, and simple experience. In just thirty minutes, you can build the new MeARM, connect it to your RBPi, add the Wi-Fi, connect it to your network, and start programming it using your favorite language—JavaScript, Python, Snap, or Scratch. Now, isn’t that a fun way to start learning to code?

The workings of the MeARM Pi are straightforward and simple. The GPIO pins on the RBPi drive the servos directly. The RBPi communicates directly with the joysticks using an I2C ADC. Even the on-board RGB LED gets its power directly from the GPIO pins, so playing around with colors is simplified. Although the regular 2 Amp RBPi power supply delivers all this power without any issues, you may consider using an upgraded power supply rated at 2.5 Amps, if you are planning to plug in some more devices.

The HAT with the kit has its own power supply, which will comfortably power both the arm and the RBPi. As the HAT follows the reference design for all RBPi HAT designs, the accompanying open-source Node.js app performs a few key tasks that include controlling the servos in the arm via the GPIO pins. It also reads the state of the joysticks via the ADC.

This great kit is just right for any budding programmer stepping into the world of digital electronics. The kit contains everything needed (except the RBPi): all plastic parts, Allen key screws and Allen key, four metal-gear servos, RBPi HAT with two on-board joysticks.

To improve the quality, the kit comes with metal gear servos rather than the usual plastic ones. Moreover, small fingers of children aren’t well equipped to handle screwdrivers. That is the reason for including the Allen key parts—more reliable.

Depending on preference, you can go for either the blue color kit or the orange one. The programming languages are already available on the RBPi, so as soon as you have assembled the arm, it is ready to pick up things.

How to Host XBee Sensors with the Raspberry Pi

Hosting sensors on the Raspberry Pi (RBPi) is so simple because the GPIO pins are all available. As most sensors need very little supporting components, hosting multiple sensors on your RBPi is possible. For instance, RBPi can simultaneously host multiple sensors for temperature, pressure, humidity, and other parameters for sampling atmospheric conditions from a weather station.

However, the RBPi does not support digitals signals on its GPIO pins. This is one reason the RBPi is so inexpensive. For accessing digital signals, the RBPi would need a digital to analog converter, preferably a 12-bit device with 4 channels.

Websites such as SparkFun and Adafruit carry a host of sensors and provide a huge amount of information about the products. Google also provides examples of using analog sensors with the RBPi. The restrictions of using only analog sensors and the 3.3 V maximum supply voltage makes the RBPi less versatile than its competitors such as the Arduino. In addition, on the RBPi you must run Python scripts as root, which makes it somewhat more difficult to do than doing so with the Arduino.

Other than connecting sensors directly to your RBPi, you can also consider using the RBPi as an aggregator node by using an XBee to connect to XBee-hosted sensors or Arduino-hosted sensors.

More specifically, you connect the remote sensor with the RBPi using XBee modules. For this, you will need to create a node first. Start with connecting the serial interface, which is a part of the GPIO header on the RBPi, to the serial interface on the XBee. Do not power on your RBPi or the sensor node, until after you have completed and verified all the hardware connections.

You will need an XBee breadboard adaptor and a breadboard. Plug in the adaptor on the breadboard. Now wire the 3.3 V and GND from the RBPi GPIO to the pins on your XBee adaptor. In case you are using the XBee Explorer Regulator from SparkFun, you may connect to the 5 V power line, as the XBee Explorer has an onboard regulator. The serial interface pins on the SparkFun board has the pins arranged in a header on the side of the board. This board also has the onboard regulator to protect the XBee, and you can connect the Explorer to the 5 V pin instead of the 3.3 V pin.

It is much easier to use connectors instead of wires. Therefore, consider soldering breadboard headers to the XBee adaptor and connect to the serial I/O header.

Next, connect the TXD pin of the GPIO on the RBPi to the DIN pin on the XBee Explorer. The RXD pin of the GPIO on the RBPi goes to the DOUT pin on the XBee Explorer. If using the SparkFun adapter, make sure you are connecting to the right pins—check the documentation for the same. Now take the coordinator XBee module and insert it into the XBee.

Before writing your own scripts, you need to download the special library from XBee. This provides a special Python module that encapsulates the XBee protocols and frame-handling mechanisms.

Name Badge with the Raspberry Pi

For people who interact a lot with others, it helps to build relationships if there is a small gizmo available as a handout. Apart from being a conversation starter, this could also be an advertiser for that upcoming project or story. Most people relish being handed a freebie, and a programmable one-off gadget is one of the best.

These were the exact thoughts running through Rob Reilly’s mind when he got a tiny color LCD for Christmas. He conceived the idea of a programmable name badge, as that would certainly grab eyeballs. Being configurable, the message could change to a logo, or graphics as necessary, maybe even through sensor inputs. When you have an idea to sell, having a self-made project considerably adds to your credibility. What Rob Reilly did with an Arduino Pro Mini, Josh King has accomplished with a Raspberry Pi (RBPi) Zero. He calls it the PiE-Ink Name Badge.

For the necessary parts of the name badge project Josh starts with the RBPi Zero, the PaPiRus 2-inch e-ink HAT, an Arduino Powerboost 1000c, and a Li-Po battery. He puts the parts together using some magnets and adhesive putty.

After soldering the header pins to the RBPi Zero, Josh attached the Powerboost, which is a useful power supply. It has a built-in load-sharing battery charger that allows the project to run even when the batteries are charging. Any 3.7 V Li-Po battery can power this DC-DC converter board, which transforms the battery output to 5.2 VDC for powering the RBPi.

At this point, Josh attaches the PaPiRus HAT to the RBPi Zero, securing all the boards with putty, ensuring a snug fit. A mini slide switch in series with the power supply wires completes the assembly and allows on-off functionality.

Josh has Raspbian already pre-installed on the SD card, so he follows it up with the setup for the PaPiRus. He needs to download all the libraries in place for the RBPi Zero to recognize the 2-inch screen. To fit into the e-ink screen, Josh had to scale all images down to 200×96 pixels.

The PaPiRus is an RBPi HAT compliant design with an interchangeable screen size—you can use a 1.44”, a 2.0”, or a 2.7” e-ink display. It has 32 Mb Flash memory with a battery backed RTC, and the onboard EEPROM allows it to be plug and play with the RBPi. To facilitate projects, there is an onboard thermal watchdog, a temperature sensor, and a GPIO breakout connector with solder pads. There are four optional slim line switches on the top, and an optional reset pin header to allow the HAT wake on alarm from the RTC. PaPiRus is suitable for powering from 3.3 or 5 V power supplies, and compatible with RBPi, Arduino, Beaglebones, and many more boards that are similar.

PaPiRus uses the ePaper technology, mimicking the appearance of ink on paper. This technology is different from LCDs, as it reflects light just as ordinary paper does. Moreover, similar to ordinary paper, the ePaper display can hold text and images indefinitely, even without battery power being present.

As the display does not require any power to retain the image, the entire electronics could go to sleep for days together before the image starts to fade slowly.

A Raspberry Pi Computer in an Altoids Tin

Turning an Altoids Tin into a Raspberry Pi computer

Although Altoids, a brand of breath mints, has its origin in the UK, it is less widely available there than it is in the US. The mints come packaged within a distinctive tin case, which people commonly reuse for different purposes, mainly as a container for small household items such as sewing materials, coins, paper clips, among many other items.

DIY enthusiasts often find the tins eminently suitable to contain electronic projects. For instance, Texas Instruments makes the BeagleBones, a single board computer, with rounded corners deliberately shaped in, so it will fit within the tin box. You can easily use the Altoids tin for enclosing the CMoy pocket headphone amplifier. The design of some microcomputer kits allow them to fit perfectly in the Altoids tins.

All the above led M. Wagner to come up with an idea of housing a Raspberry Pi (RBPi) SBC within an Altoids tin box. With the release of the RBPi Zero, he firmed up the project, calling it the PiMiniMint. His first version of the PiMiniMint had a screen, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, 32 GB storage, infrared camera, and a full-size USB port. However, he found no space for a battery—to add the battery, he needed to remove the camera. His latest version of the PiMiniMint has a battery that lasts about 6-8 hours, a 2-inch screen, 32 GB storage, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and an OTG cable serving as a full-sized USB port.

Wagner uses a 1200 mAh 3.7 V Li-Po battery for PiMiniMint. This thin, rechargeable battery fits easily under the RBPi inside the case. He has soldered the red and black wires from the battery to the ‘+’ and ‘—’ connection points on the charging circuit. Any 3.7 V Li-Po battery should work here, preferably thin ones that the tin can hold.

Although the RBPi runs at 5 V, the battery needs 3.7 V to charge. Li-Po batteries are notorious for exploding if overcharged for long or for not being charged properly. Adafruit has a circuit that both charges the Li-Po and steps up its voltage to 5 V for the RBPi. However, Wagner uses a cheaper option—a generic USB charger. He chose a USB charger with a 3.7 V battery and with an output of 5 V. Although these tiny chargers do require a bit of preparation and de-soldering to get them to work with the RBPi, they are much cheaper.

To fit into the Altoids tin case, Wagner chose to use the RBPi Zero. Usually, the RBPi models do not boot off a hard disk, but needs an SD card. Wagner used one that had a suitable OS on it. You can select the OS of your choice and load it into an SD card. As the RBPi Zero does not come with any header, it is necessary to solder a 2×40 male header on the RBPi to connect to the iotHAT.

The Redbear iotHAT is a little HAT for the RBPi Zero, sitting directly on top and interfacing with the RBPi. The HAT gives the RBPi Zero capabilities such as Bluetooth and Wi-Fi. Wagner chose the 2-inch Adafruit NTSC/PAL screen simply because it fits the tin case.

PiFM: A Pirate Radio with the Raspberry Pi

The popular single board computer, the Raspberry Pi (RBPi), can work as a radio transmitter as well. Using a simple hack, you can turn your RBPi into a powerful FM transmitter with adequate range to cover a bike parade, high school ball game, silent disco, DIY drive-in movie, or even your entire home. However, the broadcast frequency covered by the RBPi is rather large—one to 250 MHz, and there is a possibility this will interfere with government bands. Therefore, it is advisable to limit the transmissions to the standard FM band of 87.5 to 107.9 MHz.

You do not need much to make the RBPi start transmitting. The RBPi board itself, a power source, and the SD card with the OS is all that is necessary. The only accessory required is a piece of wire, which acts as the antenna. The entire project runs on the software PiFM.

Oscar Weigl and Oliver Matios developed PiFM originally, and Ryan Grassel revised it. This project uses the PirateRadio.py script, which enables playback without accessing the command line, while handling most common music file formats automatically. Wynter Woods, a MAKE labs engineering intern, wrote the script.

Oscar and Oliver had hacked the original PiFM code over a few hours. To output FM radio energy, their code used the hardware on the RBPi that actually generates spread-spectrum clock signals on the GPIO pins. Therefore, to turn the RBPi into a really powerful FM transmitter, all that was necessary was to add a wire length acting like an antenna to one of the GPIO pins. The original code used the GPIO pin 4 with a wire of length about 20 cm attached to it. For transmission, Oscar and Oliver had chosen the frequency of 100.0 MHz.

When Sam Freeman and Wynter Woods tested the present project, they found the FM signal only deteriorated once it had to pass through several conference rooms with heavy walls. The signal was able to cover 50 m easily, and objects such as heavy metal cabinets could stop it. They found the sound quality acceptable, although it has some clicks that came from the CPU switching to tasks other than playing music. For the technically minded, a kernel mode driver uses the DMA controller for preventing the RBPi CPU from being loaded, and thereby plays smooth music.

The Python script calls a C program that maps the peripheral bus of the physical memory into virtual address space. After this, it enables the clock generator module and sets points its output to GPIO4. Note that you will not be able to use any other GPIO pin at this time. It also sets the frequency of transmission to 100.0 MHz, which acts as the carrier. If you receive this on a radio, the radio will stop the background noise and become silent.

The carrier is modulated by the audio produced by adjusting the frequency using the fractional divider between 100.025 and 99.075 MHz. The fractional divider can produce audio with only 6-bit resolution. As the RBPi is very fast, it can use 128 subsamples on every real audio sample to produce 9.5-bit audio. The subsample algorithm now gives full 16-bit quality sound with FM pre-emphasis.

A Drone-Disabler with the Raspberry Pi

Drones or quad-copters are now affordable, and it is possible to record unique perspectives using their high quality video transmissions. The FAA calls them the unmanned aircraft systems, and these have started posing new challenges to security, safety, and privacy. Experts have started cautioning pilots to consider the implications of the increase in drone usage. Apart from constant surveillance concerns, it is possible for hackers using roving drones to collect location information from mobile devices.

The above has given rise to a cottage industry for anti-drone technology. You can find these devices in a variety of sizes, from handheld tools to plane-mounted types. It is possible to build one using the popular single board computer, the Raspberry Pi (RBPi). However, this rig will work against only Wi-Fi controlled network-based quad-copters. Please be careful to use this technique only on networks and devices that you own, or have permission to experiment, as otherwise, it may be considered illegal.

Many quad-copters use Wi-Fi as the key interface for communication between its controller and the tablet displaying mapping and telemetry data. Others use Wi-Fi as the sole means of control, and existing network-based attacks can be used against these devices. Since modern drones can be treated as flying computers, the attacks developed for use against traditional computer systems are also effective against drones. To illustrate the project, the AR.Drone 2.0 is selected, as it is a low-cost drone with impressive features and sensors.

Using a smartphone, a user can connect to the AR.Drone 2.0 via an access point named ardrone2. It is easy to connect, as the access point is open by default, does not require authentication, and there is no encryption involved. As soon as the user connects to the device through the access point, launching an app allows control of the drone. Although convenient for the user, the process also makes it easy for others to take control of the drone.

Therefore, using a laptop computer or on an RBPi along with a USB Wi-Fi card and a new antenna, it is possible to attack and take over the controls of the drone. For instance, if a friend is flying the AR.Drone 2.0 using the app, the access point will show up in your available wireless network.

The RBPi uses two executable scripts, one to connect to the access point, and the other to disable the drone. Use the first to connect to the network and start up your favorite terminal application. Usually, the default gateway address for this network is 192.168.1.1. As the access point is wide open on the drone system, it is possible to telnet to this address easily. Once you have access, you can proceed to explore the system, or to shut if off entirely.

This project needs a good antenna for effective connectivity. Connecting a good antenna to the wireless device can also extend its range. If you want a directional antenna, it is advisable to go for a cantenna, and you can easily make one from an available empty beer can. The cantenna will allow you control the selected drone without affecting any other device nearby.

Raspberry Pi Goes Binocular

This project uses the popular single board computer, the Raspberry Pi (RBPi) and a spare pair of binoculars to view and take pictures. The LCD on the RBPi is touch enabled to make it easy to capture the images.

To start with, you will need the appropriate Operating System for the RBPi. Download the Wheezy Raspbian OS from the Adafruit site, which will make it easy to interface the 2.8” TFT LCD with a capacitive touchscreen from Adafruit. Once download is complete, unzip the image and install it on the SD card. For the RBPi, you will need the Pi camera with its cable.

Make a suitable arrangement to mount the RBPi and LCD securely on the binoculars and place the camera on one of the eyepieces. This will tell you if the default cable that came with the camera is enough for the purpose or you need to order a longer one. A Wi-Fi dongle (USB type) makes the entire arrangement suitable for transmitting images over the net. In the absence of a Wi-Fi dongle, connect the RBPi to your network using an Ethernet cable.

To configure the RBPi, initially you may have to start with the Raspberry Pi Software Configuration Tool, by logging in and running the command “sudo raspi-config.” This will allow you to set the language, time zone, and keyboard layout according to preference. Additionally, you will also be able to enable the camera, set up the IP address, and the Wi-Fi credentials, which the RBPi will use to communicate.

You can mount the RBPi over the camera in a number of ways, depending on the material available. It is possible to do this with stiff cardboard, thin plywood, and tape. Measure the binoculars and the RBPi to make a suitable cutout in the cardboard. This may require using jigsaw, drill, or laser cutters. If you have access to a 3-D printer, take more accurate measurements, make a suitable image using engineering software, and print a template. Whatever the method of mounting, make sure the RBPi is secure and does not fall over.

Power up the RBPi and the camera and you should be able to see the image on the LCD screen. Place the camera on one of the eyepieces so that light passes through the binoculars and falls on the camera lens. Adjust the position of the camera until you see a well-defined circle on the screen. Now secure the camera to the eyepiece with tape.

For transportability, use a rechargeable battery pack to power the RBPi. For instance, a 2300 mAh battery pack will allow around two hours of operation. To prevent corruption of the SD card, program the RBPi for safe shutdown well before the two hours is over. If the battery pack is also mounted on the binoculars, the total weight may increase, making it difficult to hold and adjust. It might help to have the battery pack on a long enough USB cable, to allow the pack to be kept in the pocket.

It is necessary to connect the RBPi to the Internet if you want the images properly time-stamped. As the RBPi does not have an internal clock, it has to synchronize the date and time with the Internet connection.

Annoy-Pi: Using the Raspberry PI to Annoy Others

Most of us, as children, have made several attempts at annoying our neighbors. The electronically inclined have attempted circuits producing random chirps, which when hidden in cupboards, produced the most annoying effects. Another was a tiny coin-cell battery operated beeper that produced a beep every minute or so, designed to make people go crazy. Now, you can use the Raspberry Pi (RBPi), the popular single board computer, and try different programs to see which of them can produce the most annoying effect on people nearby.

The Annoy-Pi, as this project has been named, pseudo-randomizes both the duration of the beep, and the delay between them. Unlike the coin-battery operated beeper, where the beep could be anticipated every minute or so, the Annoy-Pi prevents the ability to expect the beep at definite intervals. The random pitch, lasting for a random period, also prevents the ability to identify the actual source of the sound.

As the beeps are noticeably different, the victim is unable to immediately identify that the sound comes from the same source, and instead chalks it up to something else entirely. Changing the pitch of the sound randomly queers the situation further. For instance, when the beeps are extremely short and high-pitched, a person might wonder if they just heard something, rather than long enough to really hear something and register it. Neighbors find this to be far more annoying and aggravating rather than regular tones and intervals.

Electronic circuits produce random chirps in different ways. One of the methods is to use two unsynchronized timers—one running at a much higher frequency than the other does. The timer running at a lower frequency uses a lossy capacitor, making its frequency unpredictable. The low frequency timer also triggers its companion, and as they are not synchronized, the triggering occurs at random intervals. You can use the same technique for programming Annoy-Pi.

In programming Annoy-Pi, the principle of threading helps the concept of generating random beeps to a large extent. The operating system keeps track of the threads, which allows the program to switch from one thread to another when necessary, and to come back to its original thread once again.

One way to do this would be to have a cron job running at boot time, with the script waiting for a random 2-5 minutes before actually beeping. The next part of the code may be involved in deciding whether to continue beeping or to stop. If the two are not related to one another, the effect will be random one.

However, with all the threads running simultaneously, you must be careful to not let the script pause or stop suddenly with the threads still running. The threads need to be closed first and only then should the script stop.

As the entire exercise is based on a program, you can try creating random threads to generate various types of beeps to annoy people. Apart from being a prank exercise, the project has a deeper purpose—of stimulating the thought process of the programmer towards generating innovative ideas.

Reflow Oven Control with a Raspberry Pi

ntroduction of SMT or Surface Mount Technology components have made it more difficult for Do-It-Yourself enthusiasts to solder these components using a soldering iron. The switch from through-hole components to SMT types had actually made hand soldering easier initially. However, with the introduction of BGA and similar packages that require blind soldering and extremely small packages that are difficult to handle manually, hand soldering with a soldering iron is now practically impossible.

Such special packages need a reflow soldering process to solder them properly to the PCB. This is easy to make with a single board computer such as the Raspberry Pi or RBPi, and a convectional hot air oven designated originally for a bakery or gastronomy purposes. The RBPi helps to make it an open-source universal reflow oven that is also web enabled and PID controlled. Another advantage of using the RBPi as a controller for this oven is it can be used also as a sophisticated pizza oven. Unfortunately, the two functions are not interchangeable, meaning you must not heat food in an oven that you have once used for reflow soldering purposes.

Apart from the RBPi, you will also need SPI-driven cold-junction thermocouple converters, for which, you can use the MAX31855 or the MAX6675, useful for K-Type thermocouples. The above ICs offer cold-junction compensation and digitize the signal from K-Type thermocouples. The data will be in a signed 12/14-bit, SPI compatible, read-only format.

You will also need Solid State Relays for the heaters and the fan, and if these are of the GPIO driven types, intermediate drivers will not be necessary for the RBPi. The heaters are best made of PWM driven MOSFETs, preferably operating at 12 VDC.

The control software runs as a Python daemon on the RBPi. An OS independent multi-user web-client offers live monitoring and remote control. The profile/curve management and slope calculator is browser-based. The software developed for demonstration is a fully functional PID controller, while incorporating a simulator.

The demonstrators have used an EKA KF412 professional hot air oven produced by Teknoeca srl from Italy. The oven uses hot air temperature transfer (convection) as against infrared, and this was considered preferable. The power consumed by the oven was 2.6 KW at 230 V, producing a maximum temperature of 300°C.

The oven chamber has adequate insulation and this increases its thermal inertia. Therefore, once the oven crosses the maximum reflow temperature, a natural cooling process does not offer quick but controlled cooldown. This is necessary to return the solder paste to its rigid state.

A radial fan mounted on the back of the oven handled the above situation. The RBPi drives this fan via a GPIO pin, and it blows fresh cold air at room temperature into the oven. This gives the RBPi total control over the heating and cooling rates of the oven, and it is possible to define a proper reflow solder profile. It is important to know that the reflow profiles for lead-free solder are different from the profile required by leaded solder.

New Velocity & RBPi: Charting an undiscovered island

Not many engineers are familiar with cartography, the map-making process. However, with advances in technology, map-making also uses computers, including using them for gathering, evaluation, and processing the source data. Furthermore, cartographers use the computer for intellectual and graphical design of the map, down to the drawing and reproduction of the final document.

There is more to cartography than mere map-making. Being an academic discipline in its own right, there exist professional associations – regional, national, and international – educational programs, conferences, journals, and other identities related exclusively to cartography. Although technological change has always affected the way cartographers prepare their maps, the computer helps them gain unparalleled control over the mapping process.

New Velocity, a machine based on the single board computer, the Raspberry Pi or RBPi, helps in the charting process. Luiz Zanotello created New Velocity at the University of the Arts at Bremen. This project has been especially helpful in investigating a certain charting error as yet persisting in cartographic maps. It involves the entanglement of physical phenomenon and data, to both of which the digital media gives the same weight.

This anomaly existed for over a century in the form of Sandy Island, located near the French territory of New Caledonia. Although the island appeared on several maps from as early as the late 19th century, an Australian surveyor ship, passing through the area, discovered that the island actually did not exist, and never had. This was followed up by removing the map from all maps. Luiz has reproduced the conditions upon which the island was seen in 1876. This project recreates the charting glitch that put the non-existing island in maps worldwide. By manipulating the digital presence, New Velocity generates a new dataset to support the existence of this fictitious island.

New Velocity has a platform to replicate the up/down movement of a ship floating over high seas. On the platform is an infrared proximity sensor for scanning sand piles. The RBPi maps the spacial data from the proximity sensor for visualization in real time. New Velocity has four preset modes, one for each dataset it records. For instance, it records coastline coordinates, digital geo-tagging, topographical elevation, and water depth surroundings.

New Velocity generates evidence of the presence of an islet in each set of datasets within the range of the island. It also uploads the data posteriorly to the open data bank of Sandy Island for spreading.

The project uses an RBPi2 running the Raspbian Jessie and openFrameworks for generating outputs that include visuals and mapping. Two NEMA 17 stepper motors help to achieve the physical motion. An Arduino Uno running the AccelStepper Library software program operates the motors via two DRV8834 Low-Voltage Stepper Motor Driver Carriers. For sensing the sand pile, New Velocity uses the GP2Y0A41sk0F Analog Distance Sensor, made by Sharp and it can measure from four to 30 cm. The entire project is encased in handcrafted wood and acrylic cases with red LEDs and a toggle button.

New Velocity proves that effective mapping is crucial for finding solutions to cartography, many of them being environmental. Without accurate maps, several activities related to the earth’s surface, such as mineral prospecting, forest management, locational analysis, road construction, weather prospecting, and so many more would remain unpractical.