If you are lucky enough to be in Germany you might want to check out the high tech Shell Eco Marathon Europe 2009 entries. The event will be at the EuroSpeedway Lausitz track from May 7th to 9th. One of the teams competing is Team Aurora from KTH Royal Institute of Technology, see some of their car pictures below. 

"The current European Shell Eco-marathon record for a combustion engine entry was set in 2004 by the team from Lycée La Joliverie (France) at 3,410 km on the equivalent of a single litre of fuel.For prototype vehicles using fuel cells, the record is even more impressive. In 2005, the hydrogen-powered vehicle built by Swiss team ETH Zurich achieved a projected 3,836 km on the equivalent of a single litre of fuel. This is the equivalent of driving from Paris to Moscow! "

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This Acoustic Gesture Recognition by Gary Halajian and John Wang from the Cornell University Designing with Microcontrollers course reminds me of the Object Scratching Input Device that Chris Harrison made (I later read the references and see that sure enough they reference the Object Scratching Input Device Project).

 "Our project utilizes a microphone placed in a stethoscope to recognize various gestures when a fingernail is dragged over a surface. We used the unique acoustic signatures of different gestures on an existing passive surface such as a computer desk or a wall. Our microphone listens to the sound of scratching that is transmitted through the surface material. Our gesture recognition program works by analyzing the number of peaks and the width of these peaks for the various gestures which require your finger to move, accelerate and decelerate in a unique way. We also created a PC interface program to execute different commands on a computer based on what gesture is observed."

Piezo buzzers can be found everywhere, next time you throw out an old smoke detector be sure to remove the piezoelectric element from it and stash it in your parts bin. If you want to monitor sound with a piezoelectric element it’s not that easy since the voltage produced by the device is so small. Nerd Kits has not only provided a circuit to help out they also walk through the circuit and explain it step by step.

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Inspired by Erik’s creations, Daniele Benedettelli put together this very elaborate drawing robot. You basically import a picture that you want the machine to draw. Manipulate the image to make the image simpler and let the robot loose to draw it. I can’t wait until my daughter starts asking for one of these LEGO Mindstorm NXT kits. It will be lots of fun for me her.

Cornell University has just completed their ECE 4760 Designing with Microcontrollers Final Projects. There are lots of great projects, this 3D Laser Scanner by Ryan Dunn and Dale Taylor looks to be a flexible scanning system. Code and schematics are provided so that you can learn from their project.

"Our project implements the hardware necessary for a laser triangulation 3D scanner as well as a PC user interface for controlling the scanner and acquiring data via an Ethernet connection. Our scanner facilitates 360-degree scans through the implementation of a rotating sample platform. Each position of rotation is scanned using a linear actuator to increase resolution. The basic setup consists of a laser line diode, a camera, and a sample. The distance between the camera and laser diode, d, is fixed and known. The laser line is projected onto the sample and is monitored by the camera. Using the known parameters of the camera, the angle theta between the laser, camera, and laser line on the sample can be calculated. Upon computing this angle, the distance between the laser and the sample, x, can be determined using the formula x = d*tan(theta). With a linear actuator we can map the distance x over different values of y as actuation occurs. After the scan has been completed, these points can be reconstructed in three dimensions assuming z is proportional to the height of the point in the image."

This is an interesting look inside a Russian Nuclear Power Plant Control Room. It was completed in 1990 after a 8 years of construction. Even though it wasn’t built yesterday I am surprised that it doesn’t have more computer screens to monitor the status of the plant. If you like dials, buttons and lights you would be completely at home in this control room!

"Because this powerplant was completed after the Chernobyl, they paid a special attention to secure it from alike accidents. There is even a saying that The sci-fi writers are on the second place by richness of imagination, the first place is occupied by the nuclear plant security engineers, meaning that they need to make it safe just for some unimaginable events that not very likely to happen, but still the security system should be ready for them. The outside structure that secures reactors themselves can stand the blast that exceeds ten times the power of atomic bomb blast, just imagine."

Here is a fun project that is sure to spice up your next party. Ercost60 built this cool Hot Wheels Basic Stamp Margarita Dispenser, watch a few cars zip around and get a drink from the gas can.

"A Parallax Basic Stamp 1 monitors the progress of the stunts using microswitches added to the accessories. If the track is properly set up (requiring a hint of sobriety) and the Basic Stamp verifies the proper trigger sequence and timing intervals, then a 12-volt pump fills a cup with pre-mixed margarita from a gas can reservoir."