Shivani Deshpande's Neon-Net is a mixed-reality game played by swinging a real aquarium fish net at AR jellyfish seen through Snap Spectacles. An Arduino UNO Q, IMU and vibration motor are mounted on the handle, where the system samples the net's motion and predicts the swing to decide whether a catch lands.
The jellyfish react to the player: approaching can make them flee, successful streaks can spook the shoal, and harder swings reach farther while disturbing more nearby creatures. Instead of leaving the interaction entirely in augmented reality, the project insists that virtual jelly-fishing should still involve holding an actual net.
AR could have made the whole game hand-tracked and prop-free, but jelly-fishing apparently still demands a real fish net. The digital world is doing the work to preserve the physical joke.
Raul Muñoz wanted smart-treadmill data from a rented machine that he could not open, modify, or attach sensors to. His solution leaves the treadmill untouched: a USB camera watches it from the side while an AI model on an Arduino VENTUNO Q estimates walking speed from video and broadcasts the result over Bluetooth FTMS to compatible fitness apps.
To train the system, Muñoz recorded treadmill sessions while labeling the displayed speeds, building a dataset across ten sessions. A restriction that ruled out a simple physical sensor therefore led to an entire local computer-vision pipeline sitting beside the machine.
When you are not allowed to attach one small sensor, apparently the compliant alternative is to have an AI stare at the treadmill continuously. The rule is obeyed with impressive force.
Maker heychaostheory built a small wheeled mouse droid with a 3D-printed body, ultrasonic obstacle avoidance, an Arduino Uno, motor control, and flashing LEDs. It can drive around on its own while avoiding objects.
Then there is the extra feature: a dedicated party-mode button. Pressing it triggers music, turning a practical autonomous robot into a mobile party machine on command.
Obstacle avoidance is useful, autonomous driving is sensible, and then someone decided the robot also needed a dedicated party button. That priority list feels exactly right for this droid.
AR could have made the whole game hand-tracked and prop-free, but jelly-fishing apparently still demands a real fish net. The digital world is doing the work to preserve the physical joke.