Watch the video above to get an appreciation of what the double pendulum is capable of when it is free wheeling. Have a look at the furuta pendulum project that Oyvindbjo made at Norwegian University of Science and Technology. I have added some of the calculations from Wikipedia for some amusement (I have no idea how to decipher it).

"For swing-up it uses feedback linearization and a controller that pumps energy into the system. The balancing controller is derived from LQG. Since the system uses full-state feedback and only the angles are measured, the angular velocitys are estimated by measuring the time between two angular positions. This in combination with flexibility in the aluminum rods, delay in the acquisition and control system and choice of controller results in oscillation. "

and

Oliver Yeh, Justin Lee, Eric Newton have put a camera into near space and took a ton of pictures for a cost of only $150. The most interesting thing is that unlike most of these balloon projects there was no custom electronics involved. Instead they used a GPS enabled cell phone to send them the GPS location data.

"We designed a low cost balloon-launch platform that did not require the use of expensive equipment such as radio modems (the total cost of our device did not exceed 150 dollars) or complicated hardware hacking (all of the components of our device were common electronics available off-the-shelf in stores). The GPS receiver was a Motorola i290 “Boost Mobile” prepaid phone with internet and GPS capability (set up with Accutracking to constantly report its GPS location)."

Console makers are always trying to make their machine sleeker and sexier than the competition. In the end the consoles usually look like a black or white rectangular box. If you are tired of the ordinary why not stuff all of your favorite consoles in something that look cool like a R2D2? That is exactly what Brian De Vitis did!

Via: Popular Science via Hack N Mod

Sending a balloon into near space has been done quite a few times by the BEAR group in Alberta Canada. Have a look at the details of their 4th launch where Tomoya Kamiko from Japan came to Canada with his HD camera to take it into space!

"The balloon and camera were launched at 7:44 AM, the balloon burst at 10:51 AM at 107,145 ft. and the camera landed via parachute at 11:40 AM, 89 miles from the launch site after a 3 hr. & 56 min. flight. At 5:45 the camera is nearing 107,145 ft. where there’s basically no air to conduct sound so nothing is heard other then what vibrations are conducted through the supporting cords, Styrofoam box and camera body to the camera microphone, like the bursting of the balloon at 6:26. Some of the balloon remains can be seen falling past the lens at 6:27 and then the fun begins as the Styrofoam box with the camera inside is repeatedly struck by the antenna hanging below it and several pounds of latex remaining from the burst balloon as everything tumbles every which way back to earth in the near vacuum at up to 7900 ft./min (90 mph) until there’s enough atmosphere for the parachute to start functioning."

The scoreLight project by Alvaro Cassinelli, Daito Manabe and Yusaku Kuribara is an amazing piece of technology since it changes the way we would normally interact with a system. Simply draw some lines on the paper or cup your hands to interact with scoreLight. It reminds me of the the freedom that the Drawdio project allowed.

"scoreLight is a prototype musical instrument capable of generating sound in real time from the lines of doodles as well as from the contours of three-dimensional objects nearby (hands, dancer’s silhouette, architectural details, etc). There is no camera nor projector: a laser spot explores the shape as a pick-up head would search for sound over the surface of a vinyl record - with the significant difference that the groove is generated by the contours of the drawing itself. The light beam follows these countours in the very same way a blind person uses a white cane to stick to a guidance route on the street."

This impressive Near-Space Imaging Vehicle was created by a the RPI Electronics Club in about 30 hours and for about $300! Could there be a business idea behind this project? After taking some hi resolution pictures at various heights for a day spend the rest of the week selling them to the residents of the area.

In the latest Electronic Products magazine there is a great article about the latest technology in smart power grids. Power Integrations is a leader in this field that is sure to be adopted widely. Subscribing to the Electronic Products magazine is free as long as you are in the USA. Hacked Gadgets does receive a small payment for each subscription to any of our Free Magazine Subscriptions so we appreciate the support from all who subscribe to the free magazines that we offer.

"As electric utility companies grapple with the need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and the increasing costs and lead-times for introducing new generating capacity they are turning to the concept of the “smart grid.” One of the core elements of the smart grid is the smart power meter that communicates with both the energy supplier and the consumer to provide real-time information on energy consumption and cost.

The energy supplier’s biggest headache is catering for the peak loading on their electric network. Peak loads can be related to user demand, such as air conditioners in hot weather, or may be the result of equipment outages. The smart grid’s aim is to reduce the impact of peak loading both by changing user behavior and by directly controlling the consumer’s equipment. By leveling out the network load, utilities can more efficiently manage their generating and transmission capacity, saving cost and reducing emissions. Deploying the smart grid should provide equitably priced electricity for all customers through enhanced security, quality, reliability, and availability of power.

Smart meters communicating with a smart network will allow the utility to implement a variety of control and incentive programs, such as real-time variable pricing. With features like in-home energy displays or “eco-panels,” the consumer can be warned when a peak loading rate is being charged. They can then make an informed choice to switch off appliances such as dryers and postpone their use until a lower rate is available. With smart appliances or Demand Response Units (DRUs) controlling appliances in the home, the rescheduling of high consumption functions can be controlled directly by the utility via the smart meter."