Switch-Adapting the Fisher-Price Smooth Moves Sloth

Kids with disabilities need accessible toys, but these toys often comewith a hefty price tag. Makers Making Change (MMC) makes it easy to DIY your own toys for just a few dollars. With a few modifications and switches, kids can more easily play with just a wave of a hand or the lightest of touches.… Continue reading Switch-Adapting the Fisher-Price Smooth Moves Sloth

The LipSync: A Mouth-Operated Joystick

Recently I built five mouth-operated joysticks for Makers Making Change (MMC). MMC is an innovative group that connects makers with opportunities to make assistive devices for people with disabilities. Usually LipSyncs are made at community-build events but Covid put a stop to that. A group of us from the from the Vancouver Hack Space built… Continue reading The LipSync: A Mouth-Operated Joystick

Internet of Things Greenhouse Monitor

I grow African Violets in a small greenhouse. They’re picky, so I made a temperature and humidity monitoring system. Data is sampled several times a minute and visualized on a web-based dashboard. If it gets too hot or dry, the violets send a warning email. Data is tracked for 30 days so it’s easy to… Continue reading Internet of Things Greenhouse Monitor

Puplexa: A DIY Amazon Voice Assistant

The Puplexa is a homemade Amazon Alexa device built with a dog speaker that dances to the sound of Alexa’s voice. I built this for fun but also to learn how the Alexa Voice Service (AVS) works. I used a Raspberry Pi 3 with Raspbian Stretch, a USB microphone, a dancing speaker, and the AVS… Continue reading Puplexa: A DIY Amazon Voice Assistant