What's going on?
Geekcon projects - how are you going to participate?
project (Wikipedia): "project is a temporary endeavor undertaken to create a unique product or service. Temporary means that the project has an end date. Unique means that the project's end result is different than the results of other functions of the organization."
Geekcon is all about your projects. It can be a project you already did and want to show and talk about, it can be a half baked one that you want to complete with your fella geeks during geekcon or it can be an idea (like "the invisible handle" in geekcon 2005!)
Have some cool links you think can inspire? Edit the list to the right!�
IMPORTANT! Many projects are pending suggestions, which means they are awaiting participants to be launched (either at the camp or beforehand). That means that if you want a project to actually take place - add yourself to the participants list to indicate your interest. Please be active not passive!
Real Virtual Skater
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Converting a real skateboard into a game controller and playing the game "Tony Hawk Pro Skater".
Wiring the skateboard with accelerometers, touch pad buttons, and bluetooth. Moving, poping and grabing the skate, sends the information using bluetooth to the game. anyone brings a treadmill?
Participating: Rafael Mizrahi, Dani Vardi, Gideon Weiler
MR. & MIS. "Line"
it is what you can do with a hose and a couple of conectors
do not be embaresed they sertnly will not be .
Mosquito Nautilus
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While our cities will be protected from Kasam missiles using advanced laser weapons, should we quietly accept the enemies creeping on us from within?
No more brute force solutions, no more chemical warefare, its time to defend ourselves with high technology - a laser gun against mosquitos.
Initial design includes a web camera, two servos, tracking software and a DVD laser, but as in all development projectects, everything is open
participants: Eviatar Tron, ...
OpenCobra 2.0
Connect a real IAF Cobra helicopter to flight simulator game.
BTW: we already have the Cobra
Participants: Yoram Avidan, ...
Magnetic Motor
Produce mechanical power using only magnets pushing – pulling magnetic powers and manipulating the main magnets direction. The motor will be built with some magnets, parts from old hard drives and glue.
Participating: Eldad Galker
AstroPhotography
Use an automated telescope and webcam to take photos of the moon and Jupiter
Participating: ilan, ?
WorldOfWorldOfWarcraft
Play WoW while walking using VR glasses, Wii controllers and a laptop
Participating: ilan, ?
Virtual Window
We've all seen Johny Lee's head tracking system (with a wii remote):
What we want to do is to take the wii out of the equation ! People will be able to "take a look" through a virtual window without wearing any equipment. The idea: we'll use head tracking web cam instead of the wii remote. Passing people will see a virtual image that changes orientation just as looking through a real window. Should be cool.
This is the result:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GzVxmOBqYIA
Participating: Shachar Mendel, Nir Berman, Yaniv Bash
www.somebodyelsesfault.com
UGC web 2.0 excuse factory
Participating:nimrod Lehavi, guy vardi
Guitar Multi Effect from laptop using RT Linux
Using my old PIII 700MHz laptop (or similar) to build a Guitar Effect box through its audio interface. Guitar Effects are usually analog and not cheap. Once you have purchased one you have only one sound, to have more you have to buy more unless you buy a Multi Effect which is much more expensive or not good enough. My idea is to take my laptop, put linux on it, put all relevant RT audio drivers, add all relevant plugins, and make it a Real Time Audio In -> DSP -> Audio Out mean machine, controlled by standard midi interface. By that unlimited options are opened to make it a loop box, a synth guitar (maybe) and much more. Obviously to make it RT one need a very low latency, hi resolution, sound card. That will come later once this project fulfil itself enough and before I spend my money on a second hand pro audio interface.
Participating:Yuval Yohai
the self-centered keyboard player's private video camera
a video camera that hovers above the a midi keyboard, following the player's hand. tracking of hand postion is done with MIDI.
Participating:Eyal "Person" Shahar
KiteSurfing Simulator
Wind is up and time to go out there. Just before you take it up with the elements, might come for a training round in our Kite Lab.
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Participants: Eyal Hershko, Dor, Rami Cohen, Gilli Cegla, KiteFlight
the sexy sax project
The saxophone was invented about 160 years ago and since then has remained more or less the same. We propose to undertake to make the sax a sexier instrument by trying to modulate the sound by mainly mechanical means, and add on other effects that appetize and tempt the senses (vision and smell, in particular). We have certain ideas about how to do this, but will definitely be interested in feedback and stimulation. At the end of the geekcon, we will make a brief performance of the sexy sax and its new capabilities.
Participating:mel Rosenberg, Hagai Cohen
WhoTheHell RU
Ever wonder who's the person you've been speaking with for the last hour, or wake up in the morning asking yourself who's that person sleeping next to you? Look no further! Once installed on your mobile, just take a photo using WhoTheHell RU, and using facial recognition tek it will look through faces on facebook to try and locate who the people in your photo are. Once found it'll also google the person for even more background info.
Participating: Gil Hirsch, Eden Shochat
iFighter
iFighter is a 2D computer-based fighting game where geekcon participants are the main characters. participants will pose about 20 positions for still camera shoots adding their own recorded sound effects and battle cries, then will be pixelized into animation and will be integrated into the fighting game engine. each one will be able to have his own moves, style, cool stage name and wearing accessories. after photo shooting and programing, the participants will play themselves (or others) against others and will be able to determine who is the strongest geek fighter in geekcon.
we need everybody's help in bringing any piece of costume you (or your kids) have, interesting clothes, weapons, accessories, hats, wearable stuff, make up etc...
(rafi- please bring your wiiman costume)�
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Participating:Hadar Landsberg, Roee Kremer, Giori Politi
Multi earphones plug
Assume 2 people want to listen to an IPOD in the same time using earphones. the way to do it is to patch a plug. the aim of this project is to build such plug for 2 to 5 earphones. It is not yet determined for what type of connectors - iPod, iPhone, TV, or something else.
Participating:Ran Lotenberg
RoboKitten Massager
Know the feeling when a cat walks on your back when you sleep? Doesn't it feel good and relaxing, like a tiny massager? Well, why not building a little robot that "walks" on your back and controlled by a WiiNunchuck? You can even put it in autonomous mode and let it do what it pleases. Another nice feature is adding a little speaker into it and let it purr :) The "walking" action can be emulated by either simple driving (servo-motor so gears are built-in and speed is adequate) and some linear actuator thumping on the back or actual mini-legs with paddings that are driving by several servos. For extra fun, a wagging "tail" can be added to the robot so the center-of-mass will be changed on demand and give extra vibration. I think this can be accomplished by using something like an arduino (avr based) and and some servos, and ofcourse - a Wii Nunchuk :)
Participating: Itay Donenhirsch
Car Blackbox
The objective: create a low cost device to record the events inside and outside of the car, to be primarily used for post-accident evidence. The 'how': Using a low-cost canon point-and-shoot CHDK (open source 'hacked' canon firmware) which allows for a lot of cool scripts and mods.
The project has 3 main components:
1) the software: Either taking very frequent stills, or modding the video bitrate size (experimentation is required) to maximize the potential/usability of the resulting image/video. (the primary concerns here are I) the image should be clear enough to be able to tell if the driver's eyes are open
2) hardware: optics modifications (fisheye lenses, mirrors) taking apart the camera and fitting it in a nice box with all the extra components required (hooking up to power from the car, possibly turning on and off with the car, etc)
3) 'hardening' the memory unit: primarily making it crash-and-fire resistant, which should be relatively easily. this will be the 'fun' part, and we will require a lot of old/small memory cards (I will bring a few 1MB - 128MB sd-cards / memory-sticks, and I'm sure we can get more). the memory units on most canons are already separated from the rest of the electronics, and hence should be relatively easy to protect.
The 'extras': (things that this can be extended into/with)
1) adding telemetry from the car's OBD, using a palmpilot or old ipaq, or cheap-o pocket-pc
2) adding GPS data
3) modifying the software to be fitted on buses, and be used to enforce the no-parking/stopping in bus-stops, the bus will carry a camera that takes time-lapse movies, since it is stills - even a 4MP (very cheap) canon camera will suffice. then, at the end of the day - the memory stick contents are transferred to the police where they analyze the photos and send tickets to drivers who were parking illegally.
4) if have a way of recording OBD data, (or even just have a GPS log file), we can know how fast the car was going when every picture was taken, then - this can be used by the police as a mobile "speeding camera", which can be deployed in police cars.
Participants: Tal Achituv
Beggar Robot
=== Introduction ===
You have probably turned off a computer or a mobile device in your life, but have you ever turned off a big robot ? Have you felt the emptiness of the box after the fans go silent and the whole machine looks dead ? Maybe did it work hard for you by remembering information, calculating data or sorting objects, and now it is dead. Dead until you switch on the power button …. but will it actually be the same machine again ? You may have actually killed it … Machines and living creatures rely on energy to exist; humans rely on food while robots rely on electricity. No energy means death. This is why seeing a beggar on the street brings us emotions, but will a begging robot pleading for energy under a real threat of electricity cut, be able to bring any emotions ?
=== Scenario === The robot-character would be based on the Futurama character Tinny Tim (which is based, in turn, on a Dickens character). Tim can beg for electricity through a USB cable so people can use their laptop to donate from their battery and recharge him. He should be placed far enough from any socket so nobody will connect him permanently. His USB cable (through a cup held in his hand?) should be short enough so people actually have to stand in a somewhat uncomfortable position to give him a donation and can't just put the laptop down. Giving should not be too easy - it needs to be a bit of a sacrifice. Maybe his connector can be altered with a spring so it needs to be held in place. Tim will attract attention by begging, of course. His pleas can become more and more desperate as the remaining charge in his batteries is depleted… Perhaps his voice can start becoming slower and lower pitch. When he is happy and well-charged he can reward people by saying sappy happy quotes :-)
=== More info here===
http://bestwackyideas.wikidot.com/ideas:beggar-robot
Participants:Yaroslav Tenzer, Oren Tirosh
Laser Maze
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We'll try to relieve the oceans twelve laser dance scene (
). We'll use a bunch of lasers, mirrors, webcams etc to create a "laser maze" to see how flexible you are!!
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Participants: Elad Barkan, Shlomi Matichin, Tomer Michaeli, Itay Donenhirsch
Personal Breeze
Global heating concerns us all, but personal heating is more annoying. What do you do when entering from a burning Israeli summer to a room? You usually turn the air conditioning on. But alas, it does not burst its cold breeze at you but at other directions. We will make your air conditioner (or fan) aware of You.
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Participant: Alon Kadury, Eyal Gruss, Omri Shacham, Adi Grossman
50 cent Puffy
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What does it take to build a flying lamp? How about using only home equipment? Could it be built with a mere 50cent budget ? In the coming GeekCon, we will show that's possible.
We'll also plan on adding a small RF camera to the flying lamp allowing a view of the event from above.
We have only one, so if you have a small weight RF cam let us know.
Participants: Alon Kadury, Eyal Gruss, Omri Shacham, Adi Grossman, Ben Sandbank
Cellular grid
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using as many as possible cellular devices to create the biggest computer ever built to compute the 10000th digit of PI. connecting all the cellular devices to be one large computer....
Participants: Cnaan aviv, Ori Abunil, Asaf Bartov
a beeping kid
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a wearable device by you and your kid that beeps when ever you are getting too far from each other, so you will not forget them in the car again ...
Participant: Cnaan aviv
WiFi hacking
We'll demo some wifi hacking techniques: 1) Intercepting packets from public unsecure networks, reconstructing http, password harvesting... 2) Optional: WEP / WPA attacks 3) Optional: Mindstorm robot, attached to EEE PC, roaming around and "sniffing" for strong wifi signals 4) Discuss possible countermeasures 5)...
Participating:Guy Corem , Elad Shapira
RoboRex
We share an intrinsic belief that poeple should not run after technology but rather technology should follow you! We took a Lego Mindstorms NXT, transformed it into a car, hacked to be controlled by bluetooth, mounted an ASUS mini laptop with a webcam, and combined it with a face detection system, and programmed it to follow the nearest face.
The result:
RoboRex!
The Lego car that follows you around! Don't worry - it's bark is worse than it's bite!
Participants: Guy Corem, Elad Shapira and Ram Nathaniel
Mega-sized Sand-plotter
a large-scale (room-size) 3d drawing tool. Imagine making a sand drawing that can cover a room size, without having to stand on your drawing... You control a cup filled with colored sand, and navigate it all over the room, decide at what height it hovers, to get different blurring effects... The cup is hinged with ropes, which are attached to pulleys and stepper motors, which let it fly weightlessly all over the place. It has its elegance, of being more than just a small toy - its not small, and by having a semi-artistical output, it is not a toy either.
Participating:Dror Tirosh, Kobi Sambrano, Imri Goldberg, Itay Donenhirsch
Fantasia!
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We will attempt to magically control the elements of water, fire and air using a Wiimote!
People Needed for this project : Programmers, electronics expereinced people
Equipment missing: Our output phidget board probably won't make it on �time for Geekcon. If you have a phidget board you won't be using or have any way to connect laptops to controlling relays we need your help and gear.
Participating:Oded Sharon, Hagai Jacobson
Creating Manadalas from electronic components
(Reproduction by Segev Shilton)
The Mandalas will not be connected to a power source and will not "work" in the usual way.
We will use electronic components because we like them and like to make stuff from them.
The importance of creating a Mandala is the process and the mental state while creating it.
Making the mandalas will enable us to better understand ourselves as geeks.�
from Wikipedia
In various spiritual traditions, mandalas may be employed for focusing attention of aspirants and adepts; as a spiritual teaching tool; for establishing a sacred space; and as an aid to meditation and trance induction. According to David Fontana, its symbolic nature can help one "to access progressively deeper levels of the unconscious, ultimately assisting the meditator to experience a mystical sense of oneness with the ultimate unity from which the cosmos in all its manifold forms arises."
Bring discrete electronic components, small tools and a soldering iron.
Participants: Hanan Cohen, ...
Cellular orchestra
Everyone is invited to perform and/or download a part from the score of the cellular orchestra.
During the event I will setup some recording gear with my laptop and musical instruments. You will be able to sing, play, talk or add whatever music or sound you like. Then, everyone will load a unique sound file to their cellular. Playing all cellulars together in the grand finale will make a great collaborative music event.
Participating: Tal Yaniv and everyone.
Needed gear: Any recording and musical�gear you have - Microhpones, pre-amps, guitars, keyboards, headphones, headphone amps, speakers, sound-effect devices, mixers, controllers etc.
TV Time Tunnel
In this project we will go back in time, and watch old TV programs on old TVs.
Needed: Old B&W TVs, preferably of the small/portable/battery-operated type (I have two of them).
Participants: Dror GIll, and desperately seeking a HW guy who can build the UHF/VHF transmitter according to schematics that are available on the Web.� For example:
http://web-ee.com/images/TVTransmitb.pdf
http://web.telia.com/~u85920178/tx/tv_tx_02.htm
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Blog2Song - The Revenge
I plan to continue the Blog2Song project from the previous GeekCon, and hopefully create more buzz this time.
Needed: An internet-connected computer and a lot of spirit[s].
Participants: Dror Gill
Geek-Face-Creation-workshop/ Gestures time capsule.
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A workshop for the ego-maniac geek... Make a perfect mold of your own face... add webcams to the eyes of the statue, and have your figure watch over your fearfull room mates/ wife.�
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Hand Gestures time capsule:�communicate across generations!��Make a mold of your own hand, make different gestures with your hands, and create statues that will be preserved in a time capsule, and hopefully found by generations to come. �
Participating: Nimrod Rotem
Materials needed: faces that will remain still for 10 minutes while goo applied.
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Super lightweight indoor model airplanes.
Build rubberband powered airplanes, weiging as little as 6 grams.
Carbon fiber arcs, balsawood� and film cover.
Participating: Nimrod Rotem
3D comics
We plan to build a 3 dimensional (as one can guess from title) comic strip, to find out which advantages this form of art can derive from the extra dimension. Will the extra real space depth give our characters a depth in of spirit, and how what does a punch in the nose look like when it can go through the black line separating the comic cubicles from each other.
Participants: idit frenkel, daria shualy
BigEars
An attempt at audio telescopy.
Participants: Ron A., On
AllIremember
Alliremember: the memory social site. As we are dealing with our assets on the web, connecting the online to the of line, manage our life and time - we'll do it with our most expansive property - our memories.
Remember the first time that you ever touched a computer? remember your first time?
Read, write, tag, add music, add videos, pics, connect with other Participants in the same memory - "water colored memories… of the way we were"....
Participants: Amit knaani, Yami glick, Yaniv golan, Kfir pravda
�files by sound
no wi-fi? no bluetooth? no infra?! no problem!
use speakers & microphone to send/receive files between 2 computers.
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Participants: Ori Abunil, Cnaan Aviv�, Itay Donenhirsch, Asaf Bartov
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Itay: you might want to check out� http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radioteletype and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PSK31
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�files by fax/scanner/printer
Inspired by "files by sound" above, using the same idea print a file, fax it, and then scan it to another computer.
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�Participants: Itay Donenhirsch
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Tagger
Tries to automatically tag your photos based on learning how you tagged them in the past.� We want to try and tag photos with their location (geotag) by looking at the image to see if the location/scene looks like any place it knows. � We would also like it to learn to recognize people and tag the photo with the names of the people in the picture.
Participants: Carl Staelin, Eli Mordechai, Ira Cohen, Gilad Barash, Omri Shacham, and Oren Ariel.
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Broadcasting Undercover Agent Operations via Twitter
Initial connection established, and action is already taking place. Follow
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Participants: LA
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FeeLamp: a feedback-based meditative lamp
The FeeLamp is a computational lamp I plan to construct from LEDs, cardboard, light sensors, small motors, and control boards. The FeeLamp is comprised of 2 or more "disk-shaped units" that can spin on a central axis, one on top of the other. each disk is affecting the spinning of the disk above/below it by the intensity of the light it is emitting. The result (hopefully) is a set of disks that spin in different speeds and in different directions, creating a subtle "dance" of lights that has an unpredictable motion pattern.
The goal of the FeeLamp is to make the world a better place, helping people all over the world to relieve stress merely by watching the incredible subtle dance of moving lights.
The FeeLamp will be constructed using the LogoBoard, a board designed at MIT Media Lab for playful physical computing projects (which I have not used in 2 years). The LogoBoard has a Logo VM mounted on a PIC chip, that enables programming in the good old LOGO programming language!
If you want to learn how to use the LogoBoard, have a great talent for industrial design or craft, or just looking for a project that is certain to have a global impact on the future of humanity - sign up and join me.
Participants: Oren Zuckerman, Erez Shasha, Limor Tarashasha
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GeekCon Museum
Every year, great projects are built and presented at GeekCon, and then fade away into oblivion.� You may see the initial project suggestions on the old wikis, and then some scattered flickr images and YouTube videos of all projects, but there's no place to go if you want to experience and appreciate GeekCon's past achievements.
The purpose of the GeekCon Museum is to serve as an eternal monument to the creativity and ingenuity of the GeekCon Geeks.� The website will hold all present and past GeekCon project, and will enable visitors to view them by name, year, participants, topic, category, etc.� Each GeekCon Project Page will link to all available information about the project, including the original plan, photos, videos, etc.� Visitors will be able to rate the projects and suggest links to similar projects elsewhere.
�Participants: Dror Gill, and desperately seeking someone who can actually design and code this...
Dog e-Motion
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Ever had your dog eating your couch while you were away from home?
Ever had him eat your cables, chair or - God forbid - your laptop?
We're going to allow you to mark areas around the house that your dog should not get to, so you can leave your home safely.
Whenever the dog jumps on your couch (or whatever area you defined), our webcam software will recognize it, and sound an alarming .wav sound, so alarming your dog will jump right off.
Just in case, we'll send you a text message with an alert notification, and an email with a photo - proof to frame your dog, in case they tell you "it wasn't me".
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Participants: Boaz Kantor, Gur Zeevi, others?
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6m$Man
Well, you can re-build me. you've the technology........
http://cafe.themarker.com/view.php?t=562123
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But actually i'll be happy yo help to any project that needs some1 who moves slowly and maybe it's time to fix the sites of geekcon 2005-2007 with all our amazing projects Ii'll be glad to do it)
Participants: Yariv Nachshon, others?
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Remember the first time that you ever touched a computer? remember your first time?
Read, write, tag, add music, add videos, pics, connect with other Participants in the same memory - "water colored memories… of the way we were"....
Participants: Amit knaani, Yami glick, Yaniv golan, Kfir pravda