SAM Wireless Electronics Kit Aims to Democratize the Internet of Things
The development kit of SAM Labs makes working on IoT projects accessible to anyone. At the same time it can serve as a rapid prototyping tool for more complex projects. The kit consists of Bluetooth LE enabled actuators and sensors that can easily be wirelessly connected with the drag-and-drop circuit design software.
The concept is centered around SAMs, Sensor Actor Modules, that are networked together over Bluetooth Low Energy. The network is configured on a central computer running the SAM a...
The development kit of SAM Labs makes working on IoT projects accessible to anyone. At the same time it can serve as a rapid prototyping tool for more complex projects. The kit consists of Bluetooth LE enabled actuators and sensors that can easily be wirelessly connected with the drag-and-drop circuit design software.
The concept is centered around SAMs, Sensor Actor Modules, that are networked together over Bluetooth Low Energy. The network is configured on a central computer running the SAM app. A drag-and-drop interface lets the user piece together a network. The code behind every point-and-click action in the GUI appears in the sidebar, so users can learn how programming works. Once they get the hang of it, they can add their own code.
The SAMs communicate wirelessly up to range of 20 meters. The sensors include proximity, pressure and light and the actuators light, sound and motors. The WiFi module connects to the Internet so the SAM configuration can act independently of the central computer. SAM Labs supports open hardware and schematics and board designs will be made available.
Democratizing the Internet of Things
One of the motives for creating a low-barrier developer kit is to bridge the gap between big corporations that are creating much of today's technology and the people who have to live with it. Founder Joachim Horn focuses specifically on the IoT which he thinks is about to boom. As more and more ordinary things will become part of a network, and both spew data and be controlled by it, the world will change. By providing a means for people to create their own technology Horn and the SAM Labs team, hope to empower people to be a part of that change instead of mere recipients.
Democratizing the Internet of Things
One of the motives for creating a low-barrier developer kit is to bridge the gap between the technologization of the environment and people's understanding of it. Founder Joachim Horn focuses specifically on the IoT which he thinks is about to boom. As more and more ordinary things will become part of a network, and both spew data and be controlled by it, the world will change. Horn thinks that few people have enough knowledge of the inner workings of information technology to participate in the conversation about the direction of that change. A DIY kit, geared to making it fun to create IoT devices and learning how stuff works in the process, is his and SAM Labs' contribution to adding more voices to the conversation.
Crowdfunding
The team is running a successful fund raiser on Kickstarter. Almost a month ahead of their closing date they're already well past their $80.000 goal. Backers can sign up for the first batches of SAM kits. Starter kits with 3 modules and the app go for $88. The $370 SAM pro comes with 12 modules and is the only kit including the WiFi module.
SAM Labs
UK-based SAM Labs is run by a team of designers from the Royal College of Art and engineers from Imperial College London. Sam Labs is currently part of the Microsoft Ventures Accelerator in London. A program that helps entrepreneurs getting their startup of the ground.
Source: techmog.com
The concept is centered around SAMs, Sensor Actor Modules, that are networked together over Bluetooth Low Energy. The network is configured on a central computer running the SAM app. A drag-and-drop interface lets the user piece together a network. The code behind every point-and-click action in the GUI appears in the sidebar, so users can learn how programming works. Once they get the hang of it, they can add their own code.
The SAMs communicate wirelessly up to range of 20 meters. The sensors include proximity, pressure and light and the actuators light, sound and motors. The WiFi module connects to the Internet so the SAM configuration can act independently of the central computer. SAM Labs supports open hardware and schematics and board designs will be made available.
Democratizing the Internet of Things
One of the motives for creating a low-barrier developer kit is to bridge the gap between big corporations that are creating much of today's technology and the people who have to live with it. Founder Joachim Horn focuses specifically on the IoT which he thinks is about to boom. As more and more ordinary things will become part of a network, and both spew data and be controlled by it, the world will change. By providing a means for people to create their own technology Horn and the SAM Labs team, hope to empower people to be a part of that change instead of mere recipients.
Democratizing the Internet of Things
One of the motives for creating a low-barrier developer kit is to bridge the gap between the technologization of the environment and people's understanding of it. Founder Joachim Horn focuses specifically on the IoT which he thinks is about to boom. As more and more ordinary things will become part of a network, and both spew data and be controlled by it, the world will change. Horn thinks that few people have enough knowledge of the inner workings of information technology to participate in the conversation about the direction of that change. A DIY kit, geared to making it fun to create IoT devices and learning how stuff works in the process, is his and SAM Labs' contribution to adding more voices to the conversation.
Crowdfunding
The team is running a successful fund raiser on Kickstarter. Almost a month ahead of their closing date they're already well past their $80.000 goal. Backers can sign up for the first batches of SAM kits. Starter kits with 3 modules and the app go for $88. The $370 SAM pro comes with 12 modules and is the only kit including the WiFi module.
SAM Labs
UK-based SAM Labs is run by a team of designers from the Royal College of Art and engineers from Imperial College London. Sam Labs is currently part of the Microsoft Ventures Accelerator in London. A program that helps entrepreneurs getting their startup of the ground.
Source: techmog.com
