2013 will be an exciting year in the world of gadgets — new game consoles are launching, gadgets to automate homes and improve health are popping up regularly, and this could finally be the year the mythical Apple TV ships.
While these are all undeniably cool, the gadgets that will really transform the future are being prototyped in hackerspaces and garages all over the world. Increasingly, the Raspberry Pi is the platform of choice for these forward-thinking gadgeteers. Makers are using the tiny $35 platform to help the blind, manage their e-mail, play games — even put on pyrotechnic stage shows that would make the most hardened hair band weep with joy. These 10 projects show the enormous potential of this tiny board and should keep your weekend full of prototyping fun.
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Audiobooks for the Blind
Over 20 million people in the U.S. deal with some level of blindness and many lack the financial resources or technical know how to use traditional assistive technologies, or the usability settings of an iPhone. Maker Michael Clemens had a 90-year-old grandmother fitting that description so he got busy building a dead simple, one-button alternative. Audio books are loaded via SD card, pressing the button starts the book, pressing it again pauses it, and holding it for four seconds skips back one track. Clemens also graciously shared the code needed to bring Harry Potter to the Raspberry Pi on his blog.
Photo: Fellowship of FSFE