Team Ikaro is a vibrant group of high school students from the Pacinotti Archimede Institute in Rome, sharing a strong passion for electronics and turning heads in the world of robotics! Specializing in Soccer Lightweight games (where robot-soccer players compete to score goals on a miniature field), they clinched the first place at the Romecup 2024 and won Italy’s national Robocup in Verbania earlier this year – earning the right to compete in the world championships in Eindhoven, where they placed third in the SuperTeam competition.
The brains behind the bots
Utilizing the versatile Arduino Nano RP2040 Connect, the team has crafted highly efficient robots that feature ultrasound sensors, PCB boards, a camera, four motors, a solenoid kicker and omni-directional wheels, all meticulously assembled in the school’s FabLab.
Mentored by professor Paolo Torda, Team Ikaro exemplifies the spirit of innovation and teamwork bringing together three talented students: Francesco D’Angelo, the team leader, focuses on system design and mechanics; Flavio Crocicchia, the software developer, ensures the robots’ brains are as sharp as possible; Lorenzo Addario specializes in camera software, making sure the robots can “see” and react swiftly on the field. Their combined efforts have led to a seamless integration of hardware and software, and established a foundation of passion and ambition for future success in their careers.
Future goals
After their first taste of global competition, Team Ikaro is determined to continue refining their robots, leveraging every bit of knowledge and experience they gain – whether in the classroom, lab, or live challenges. At Arduino, we are proud to sponsor such brilliant young minds and look forward to seeing what they will accomplish next!
With roots in Africa, the kalimba is a type of hand piano featuring an array of keys that are each tuned for a specific note, and upon plucking or striking one, a pleasant xylophone-like sound can be heard. Taking inspiration from his mini kalimba, Axel from the YouTube channel AxelMadeIt sought to automate how its keys are struck and produce classical melodies with precision.
The design process started out with Axel determining the best mechanism for interacting with the small keys, and after hitting/plucking them using a range of objects, he settled on plucking individual keys with a small plastic actuator. Two servo motors were utilized to perform the action, with one motor sliding a gantry left-and-right, and the other moving a small plastic pick across the keys. Axel’s design underwent several iterations to get the sound correct since material thickness, the lack of a resonant backing, and a loud servo motor all contributed to reduced quality initially.
After perfecting the physical layout, Axel assembled the electronic components into a custom 3D-printed case, which includes spaces for the Arduino Nano, battery, charging circuit, and pushbuttons. The first two buttons cause the kalimba to play preprogrammed melodies, while the last one plays random notes with a random amount of delay in between.
If you want to make PCBs at home and you don’t happen to own a CNC mill, then you’ll probably need to turn to chemical etching. Use one of several different techniques to mask the blank PCB’s copper that you want to keep, then toss the whole thing into a bath to dissolve away the unmasked copper. Unfortunately, the last step can be slow, which is why Chris Borge built this PCB agitator.
Alton Brown’s philosophy on “unitaskers” is wise when it comes to the kitchen, but things are different in the workshop. Sometimes a tool or machine is so useful that it is worth keeping around — even if it only does one job. That’s the case here, because Borge’s machine only does one thing: tilts back and forth. If a container with a PCB in an etchant bath is sitting on top of the machine, that action will slosh the chemicals around and the agitation will dramatically speed up the process.
On a mechanical level, this is extremely simple. It only requires a handful of 3D-printed parts, some fasteners, and a couple of bearings. The bearings provide a rotational interface between the stationary base (weighed down with poured concrete) and the pivoting platform. The electronics are even simpler and consist of an Arduino Nano board and a small hobby servo motor. The Arduino just tells the servo motor to move back and forth endlessly, tilting the platform and providing constant agitation.
If you were unlucky enough to visit a big box retail store or goofy uncle’s home around the turn of the century, you would have undoubtedly come across a Big Mouth Billy Bass. That’s an animatronic fish that wiggles on a plaque while older, very licensable hit songs play. But while ol’ Billy was wildly popular at the time and spawned a whole new market segment, he wasn’t very sophisticated. Tony–K decided to address those cognitive shortcomings by giving Billy Bass an ‘arti-fish-al intelligence’ upgrade.
Internally, the original Big Mouth Billy Bass is quite simple. It has a single electric motor that drives the animatronic movement through a plastic mechanism, with a cheap sound chip that has Al Green’s “Take Me to the River” burned in. Tony–K’s modification gives the user full control over everything, so they can program whatever behavior they like and use any audio. Using a standard infrared remote control, the user can activate those programmed sequences. If desired, Billy can be switched back to his normal routines.
Tony–K achieved that using two Arduino UNO Rev3 boards. One handles motor control, while the other plays audio. Tony–K chose to do that so he could use a motor driver shield with one Arduino and an SD card shield with the other. This takes advantage of the TMRpcm library, which makes it possible to play PCM and WAV files without a dedicated audio DAC (digital-to-analog converter). The audio quality won’t be stellar, but it is good enough for this purpose.
What to play all comes down to the builder’s ability to think up fish-related puns. If you can find a way to incorporate a Jimmy Buffett song, you’ll be golden!
In today’s busy world, getting students or engineers to work together is key to tackling complex IoT projects. Traditional code sharing and editing methods, like using offline IDEs or swapping files manually, often slow down projects and lead to mistakes. This can be a hassle and take up a lot of time, often getting in the way of students or developers learning together. To address these challenges, Arduino Cloud introduces Collaborative Coding — a new feature available in the Cloud Editor, the online alternative to the traditional Arduino IDE, that enables real-time, collaborative coding.
So, what is Collaborative Coding?
In Arduino Cloud, Collaborative Coding allows multiple users to work on the same code at the same time. For example, industrial automation professionals can enhance project efficiency, reduce errors, and accelerate development cycles while streamlining the collaborative experience and enhancing the overall efficiency of group projects. But not only enterprises, also teachers can work closer with their students by sharing and reviewing code, or finding ways to teach how the code works.
Advantages of code collaborations:
It streamlines the coding process.
It foster innovation through teamwork.
It ensures projects are on track and boosts continuity.
Is Collaborative Coding available for users with a Shared Space?
Yes, Collaborative Coding can only be accessed if you have a Shared Space created for your organization or school.
A Shared Space in Arduino Cloud is a collaborative environment designed for organizations or educational institutions. It allows team members or students to work together on projects while sharing many resources such as dashboards, things, sketches,…. There is no limit to the number of members who can join a Shared Space.
If you are on a paid Arduino Cloud plan and you have created a Shared Space, Collaborative Coding will already be enabled for you. Just open a sketch file from your organization space and start editing.
If you haven’t created a Shared Space for your organization yet, you can purchase an Arduino Cloud School or Business plan on this page.
How does Collaborative Coding work ?
Let’s say that you’re in the middle of editing a sketch, when another user tries to access it. They will be notified right away that the sketch is being edited by someone else. How? With a message displayed in the lower hand corner of Arduino Cloud Editor (see screenshot below). Once you complete your changes or you have verified and uploaded the sketch, the other user will be able to edit the code.
4 ways to make the best out of Collaborative Coding
1. Boost IoT team project development
Facilitate collaboration among team members located in different parts of the world, ensuring that everyone is on the same page. Conduct code reviews in real time, improving code quality and knowledge sharing.
2. Engage in pair programming
Pair programming is the practice of pairing up students to work on programming activities. This is the most common approach used by teachers to foster collaboration in the classroom.
Collaborative coding helps students to be more actively involved in projects, making the learning process interactive and engaging. They can leverage each other’s knowledge and skills, resulting in more effective problem-solving and innovation. The development cycle accelerates as well, allowing for quicker iterations and refinements.
3. Deliver interactive workshops and training
Use the collaborative editor for training new hires and students who are learning to code allowing them to follow along and participate in real-time. Conduct hands-on workshops where participants can actively engage with the code, enhancing their learning experience.
4. Enhance client collaborations
Collaborate with clients on specific projects, enabling them to see progress and provide feedback in real-time. Quickly prototype and demonstrate solutions to clients, incorporating their feedback instantly.
Collaborative Coding in action
Explore how our new Collaborative Coding feature can revolutionize your workflow. Access short clips on our documentation site, customized for your specific needs:
This isn’t news: In both educational and professional realms, working with multiple users in real-time is key to success. The new Collaborative Coding feature in Arduino Cloud bridges the gap. It offers learning, helps debugging and improves communication.
By integrating this tool into your workflow, whether you’re a student working on group projects or a developer in the industrial automation sector, you will get a better development experience
Ready to revolutionize the way you collaborate on code? Check out this tutorial on how to Collaborate using the Cloud Editor.
Don’t have a Shared Space?
Visit our plans now and upgrade to a Pro or School plan depending on your profile and needs. If you’re a student or an educator, you can also sign-up for a free trial now and start collaborating within Arduino Cloud Editor.
For any information, our team is here to support you. Get in touch!
Caffeine lovers take their coffee very seriously and that is most apparent when you dive into the world of espresso machines. To satisfy enthusiasts, an espresso machine needs to provide precise control over temperature, pressure, and flow to enable the perfect pull. But if you’re the type of true aficionado that isn’t content with any consumer off-the-shelf option, then you’ll be interested in the diyPresso One machine.
The diyPresso One kit costs €1,250.00 (about $1,390) and it isn’t meant to be a budget option. But it is more affordable than many of the high-end machines on the market. And, more importantly, its DIY and hackable nature means that you can tweak it and tinker with it until you have it exactly the way you like it. If you can’t make your perfect cup of espresso with the diyPresso One, then your perfect cup simply doesn’t exist.
That all starts with the open-source controller and software, which monitor the machine’s various sensors and oversee the brewing process. That controller is built around an Arduino MKR WiFi 1010 board, programmed with the Arduino IDE. The choice to use Arduino was critical, because it lets users easily modify the machine’s behavior through simple sketch changes.
The rest of the parts are of equally high quality. The enclosure is stainless steel formed into a beautiful minimalist design, with side windows so everyone can see the stunning copper boiler that was custom-made for the diyPresso One. And the machine takes advantage of E61 brewing group components, so users can swap them based on preferences or requirements.
Have you ever discovered a cool piece of tech buried in your drawer and thought, “This could make for an awesome project”? That’s exactly what happened to Roni Bandini, maker, writer, electronics artist – and Arduino Alvik Star!
Bandini began coding at 10 years old, and has always found automatons and robots fascinating. About Alvik, he has said, “I really like this little robot—the elegance of its concept and design. As soon as I encountered it, I dove into several projects aimed at expanding its default capabilities.”
One of those projects in particular caught our attention, and we are excited to share it with you.
Getting the building blocks ready
After stumbling upon a tiny Seeed Studio XIAO ESP32S3 with an OV2640 camera sensor, Bandini saw its potential right away. It was the perfect tool to upgrade Arduino’s Alvik robot with computer vision. His mission? To teach Alvik to evade law enforcement officials – or at least a LEGO® police figure!
Since both the Alvik main board and the XIAO cam board use ESP32, Bandini used ESPNow – a fast communication protocol – to connect the camera with the robot. He then 3D-printed two support bars and attached them with a pair of M3 screws.
Learning to react fast!
But before the epic police chase could begin, Alvik needed some training. Bandini took pictures of the LEGO® police figure and a ball and uploaded them to Edge Impulse. He then exported the trained model as an Arduino library using the EON compiler, before importing the zip file into the Arduino IDE.
Once everything was set up and the MicroPython script created, Alvik was ready to roll. As it moved forward, the robot took pictures and processed them through a machine learning (ML) model. If it detected the police figure, Alvik would turn around and flash a red light. In other words, it was time to make a quick getaway!
For more details on this exciting project, including a link to a YouTube demo, visit Bandini’s blog post here.
Making it useful
However, the action doesn’t stop there. Although Alvik can drive autonomously, Bandini has also adapted a remote control from the 1980s to give himself even more control. How? By writing C++ routines that translate the remote’s coordinates into commands. These commands are then sent via ESPNow to the MAC address of the ESP32 in Alvik, where they trigger functions to move the robot.
Inspired by an old-school advertisement for the Omnibot 2000 robot, Bandini has even taught Alvik to bring him a glass of whiskey! While we don’t recommend this for anyone under the legal drinking age, there’s no reason why you can’t substitute it for your favorite refreshments!
Login
