Ideas 2013


Music through Colour - Artificial Synesthesia

Hack Details: Synesthesia is a neurological condition where by the senses are somewhat mixed up and stimulating one sense results in an automatic stimulation of another sense. One example of this is the ability to see colours when listening to music. Some famous musicians have claimed to possess this ability such as Stevie Wonder, Mozart and Jimi Hendrix. I want to recreate this condition artificially using a piano and Matlab. I aim to assign each musical note or a selection of notes with a specific colour and create a program that will display these colours as the keys are pressed on a piano. This could be used to help people with disabilities to learn a new instrument through a more interactive environment using colour. What you need to make it happen? I can supply the piano and tuner as well as the software to write the code but i need designers, artists and musicians to assist with the concept development, i.e. what colours should go with what note etc. Also I may need some hardware help. Your name: Alan Armstrong Twitter/website:@alanarmstrong5

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Weightlifting Fatigue and Power Sensor

Hack Details: A small sensor that could be attached to a bar/dumbbell which can measure the power output over a number of repetitions. This data could be used solely for measuring power output or used to detect a drop in power indicating fatigue and letting the athlete know when to stop their exercise. Expensive version is here: http://store.sorinex.com/Tendo-Weightlifting-Analyzer-p/t-2.htm What you need to make it happen?: hardware person to build sensors, computer coder to develop code to interput the date (I may be able to help with this via Matlab), general help with idea development. Your name: Alan Armstrong Twitter/website:@alanarmstrong5

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League of the Digital Dead

Hack Details:  By the beard of Zeus, I declare war on how we think about the big sleep, yes death, the ultimate end game. Before describing the project I'm going to ask as simple question. Do you want to be immortal and remembered forever? Well for all of you who said yes, this project if for YOU, yes YOU. O.k. we all know it's a right pain to cheat death, but what we can do is preserve as much as possible. I propose creating an open source hardware and software platform capable of capturing and storing everything that makes you YOU, from how you look to your philosophical beliefs for current and future generations to explore and treasure. Think of it as a truly twenty first century tombstone/memorial. The platform should be able to record and preserve the following data. - Images, audio, textual data, video, 3D scans, exported social media such as Facebook, Twitter, Flickr etc..., other data we're open to suggestions. It should be - built on open standards, long lasting Accessible, easy to use, easy to hack, reliable, secure and anything else you can think of. Scope for this project is infinite it could one day be used to store one's entire genome. For the prototype of an outdoor device I propose we build a WiFi accessible solar powered mass storage device lets say 16GB. I have several components here ready for hacking such as - Solar panel with battery storage, USB Keys, low power Wi-Fi router supporting OpenWrt. An indoor mantelpiece unit would be even more straight forward by hacking another OpenWrt router or similar device. What you need to make it happen?:  Idea people, more hardware, coders, embedded systems engineers. Hey wait a second I want this project to be completely organic in how it evolves, so I need everyone who feels they can contribute. Your name: Sebastian Dooris (Seb) Twitter/website:

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Build your own body

Hack Details: I might sew and stuff various organs that can be attached to an outline of a human. It may have electronics in that recognise the various organs and if they're right or added info or something like that What you need to make it happen?: I'll be bringing my sewing machine and some fabric and stuffing. I'll have my arduino with me too. It'll require some thinking about how a circuit could be wired up and what sort of sensors would be appropriate. I'll need someone with electronics/coding skillz to help out Your name: Tríona Twitter/website:@triploidtree http://scienceisdelicious.com

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Keepy Uppy

Hack Details: When children play "keepy up ball" is there a way to keep count of the kicks electronically and then switch off if the ball drops off the boot? Potentially, add to a phone app so friends can compare scores? What you need to make it happen?: All that was listed? Programmers, hardware designers and more hope in the heart Your name: Robin Twitter/website:

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Story generator

Hack Details:  I'm looking to build a device that will take a few words inputted, generate a story, and output it on a thermal/serial/parallel printer. I may or may not be working on a quantum time machine to go around it, but if I told you about that then I'd have to kill you.. What you need to make it happen?:  Software, programmers, help with the technical end of things. I have a printer, arduino and some odd ideas. Your name: Sinead McDonald Twitter/website:http://sineadmcdonald.com

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BYOB to Arduino

Hack Details: Can we create an open source interpreter for Scratch/BYOB that can compile and program an arduino. Your name: Peter Redmond Twitter/websitewww.mechatrons.com

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Irish Dancing Shoes with MIDI Interface.

Hack Details: The idea is to add pressure sensors to the soles of Irish dancing hard shoes and then send the data back wirelessly so it appears as a standard MIDI device. Allowing the tap shoes to perform as an instrument of sorts, the sound of which can be controlled in software. What you need to make it happen?: We are gathering the hardware at the moment (we have a few Force Resistive Sensors and the like), but we'll need to see what works best on the day. We got a professional Irish dancer to test it out. Someone with experience with MIDI interfaces could be handy, but many hands make light work so anyone who likes electronics, programming or just has good ideas would be very welcome on the team. Your name: David McKeown, Mick Donegan. Twitter/website:@dj_mckeown Mick Donegan  

5 comments


Mesh Networking

Hack Details: I have a collection of Mesh Networking and Wireless Devices maybe someone would like to try and do something with them during science hack day. EZ430-RF2500 - http://www.ti.com/tool/ez430-rf2500 EZ430-Chronos - http://www.ti.com/tool/ez430-chronos OpenBeacon Tag - http://www.openbeacon.org/OpenBeacon -Tag CCC r0ket Badge - http://r0ket.badge.events.ccc.de/ What you need to make it happen?: Your name: Robert Fitzsimons Twitter/website: @PartFusion http://partfusion.com/

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Augmented/Virtual Reality

Hack Details: Can we create some of the basic components of an Augmented/Virtual Reality system in a day? Head-mounted displays, hand motion tracking and gesture recognition, or body position and orientation. What you need to make it happen?: Your name: Robert Fitzsimons Twitter/website: @PartFusion http://partfusion.com/

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Easy Tools for 3D Printing

Hack Details: 3D Printing is cool, but the design and modeling tools can be difficult to use and hard to learn. So during the Hackday can we create tools in software and/or hardware which would allow a new user to just create 3D models in a more intuitive and interactive way. What you need to make it happen?: 3D Printers. Interactive sensors and input devices. User interface, mobile application, game and general developers. Hardware hackers, electronic engineers. Your name: Robert Fitzsimons Twitter/website: @PartFusion http://partfusion.com/

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A Carbon Monoxide Sniffer Phone attachment or Case/Cover

Hack Details: Lots of people have been found on their sofa overcome with Carbon Monoxide from the gas or other heater they’ve been warming their toes to, and just like that they suddenly find that they are quite dead. As I read another tragic report in the news today, of which such reports like this seem to come thick and fast during spells of cold weather in backward European countries, I thought there must be another way to always be protected from CO, the silent killer. Can you really trust the Hotel you are staying in will be adequately ventilated from deadly invisible heater fumes? Will the heater your Granny puts in your room to keep you warm during the annual visit also turn out to be a death trap? Would you want to carry a device that attempts to protect you from waking up dead? What I propose here is a smart phone case (iPhone or other) that has a slim CO (Carbon Monoxide) sniffing cell built into it. It could run from the phones battery or it would have a separate battery which would supply power to the alarm even when the phone is turned off, or runs out of juice. In fact I think it may be preferable to be independent from the phone completely, merely using the devices energy source to keep it topped up. The unit, on activation would initiate the highest, most irritating shriek and vibration once CO is detected. It would have to be powerful enough to sense fume traces from within a person’s clothes or bags. When you wake up to this fucking weird shrieking banshee noise and vibration coming from your phone, my advice would be to vacate fast and wake everyone else around you and open all doors and windows immediately. As the tag line for this gadget might say; “Don’t wake up Dead” What you need to make it happen?: Minature gas filter correlation technology, Gas analysys app, iPhone and android case designers Your name: Bill O'Riordan Twitter/websitewww.flyflaps.ie  

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Inter-college Clubs/Societies Website

Hack Details: One website (and forum) set up so that societies and clubs from different colleges all around Ireland can interact with each other. The website could be used to arrange inter-college events and connect lovers of similar interests from colleges all around Ireland. What you need to make it happen?: Web designers, Multi-media experts, marketing Your name: Christina Prendergast Twitter/website: http://www.flickr.com/photos/christinaprendergast/

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