Dive into a few weekend Raspberry Pi projects: Transform air quality monitoring with digital art, bond with a robotic PiDog, recharge with sleep, stream videos anywhere, and create music with a Pico-powered Kalimba.
As we close up the week, let’s take a look at some Raspberry Pi projects for the upcoming weekend tinkering!
Indoor Air Quality Monitoring with Digital Art
Relaxing indoor air quality monitor. Source: Hackster.
From Hackster comes Maureen Rakotondraibe’s project that outlines the creation of an indoor air quality (IAQ) monitor that visually represents air quality data as sinusoidal curves on a display. It uses a Raspberry Pi, the SEN54 sensor, and cloud technology. Aimed at reducing stress associated with traditional air quality monitoring methods, this setup translates various air quality factors — such as temperature, humidity, VOCs, and particulate matter—into calming digital art. The article details the hardware and software components used, the system's design and functionality, and how data is saved and visualized on the cloud, providing a less intrusive, aesthetically pleasing method for monitoring air quality indoors.
Over in France, Patrick Fromaget has tried out the SunFounder PiDog Robot Kit. It’s an advanced robot kit powered by a Raspberry Pi, designed to resemble and behave like a dog. It comes with a variety of sensors and 12 servos for lifelike movements. Ideal for Raspberry Pi enthusiasts and people who can’t have pets at home, it offers a fun and educational experience in programming and robotics. Assembly requires a few hours but is facilitated by clear instructions and labeled parts. With the ability to control it via Python or a smartphone app, the PiDog is highly recommended for those with some prior experience in similar projects.
Patrick offers an in-depth review at his website, RaspberryTips.
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An Artist Urges You Recharge While Your Phone Does
A Raspberry Pi and a camera make a capable sleep tracker. Source: Dries Depoorter.
Ashley Whittaker over at Raspberry Pi has a knack for finding interesting and quirky projects, including this installation by Dries Depoorter. “Recharge” offers a unique charging solution that promotes rest: It powers up your phone only when you’re asleep, verified through a Raspberry Pi-powered sleep surveillance camera. This encourages digital detoxes by linking phone charging to periods of rest, thereby benefiting both the smartphone and the user's mental state. The installation, combining technology and relaxation, is on display at Het Nieuwe Instituut until 2 April 2024, aiming to enhance mindfulness and provide a novel approach to recharging both our devices and ourselves.
You may not be that interested in having a Heisenberg phone that refuses to charge as long as you’re looking at it, but the sleep surveillance technique could be interesting in our own projects. Ashley points the way here.
PiCockpit Video Streaming App Launch
PiCockpit Pro in action: Streaming Video. Source: PiCockpit.
PiCockpit announces the launch of its Video Streaming App, enabling Raspberry Pi users to stream video from anywhere globally. This app caters to a variety of uses, including security, live feed monitoring, and quality control, enhancing operational efficiency in various settings. The app, compatible with both MIPI and USB cameras, is available under a free plan with 30 minutes of streaming and a Pro Plan for unlimited access. It's designed to work across different Raspberry Pi models, ensuring wide usability.
Pico-powered Kalimba Creation
A Musical Instrument Digital Interfaced kalimba! Source: Hackaday.
Hackaday brings coverage of a Jeremy Cook musical creation. He innovatively upgrades standard kalimbas into MIDI instruments with the Raspberry Pi Pico. Beginning with a solid wood model, he moved to a larger version for ease of play, incorporating a custom PCB for capacitive touch sensing. This blend of traditional instrument and modern tech expands musical possibilities.
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