2022 was gone by with lots of creativity, activities, projects, and expos š. You can view some basic stats and read more about each section below:
4x - New, released products:
- Light Follower
- Tinycade
- Tinycade micro
- HeartBit
10x - Products in progress:
- Reactor
- Mini synth
- Big synth
- Tankbot Controller Board
- Tankbot Power Board
- ROBO ESP32 S2
- Safepass
- FastTrack
- SmartBMS
- STEM Analyzer Kit - In collaboration with PASCAL
3x - Not NDA-restrictedĀ client projects:
- Humeral IO - IoT Tag with custom firmware
- FuelHouse InfiniteWall installation
- eStickyĀ - Embedded system design
11+ - Expos, events and shows:
- BoyzStuff Show
- Scyence FairĀ
- UpToYouth Festival
- Researher's night
- Robotex
- IEEE UCY Student branch day
- E2Steam - UNIC
- Reflect Fest
- Future Talks
- Pascal Robotics Show - Limassol Mall
- NUP Embedded Systems Introduction
5x - Custom Workshops:
- Pascal Education - Introduction to industrialization via the use of educational robotic arms
- Amdocs - Electronics and prototyping workshop
- Olympion - Introduction to 3D print and design
- ROBO - Introduction to 3D print and design - Level 1
- E2Steam - Introduction to the world of Arduino
Ā
Let's dive into each section in more detail:
NEW, RELEASED PRODUCTS
We had great advancement compared to 2021 highlights, since 2022 was the first year that we released 4 different projects that include a microcontroller and custom firmware. Since most released projects are educational, you can find the code and resources to customize your kit in our GitHub page!Ā
Ā
Light Follower Robot
Building a light follower robot is a classic project when getting started into the world of electronics and robotics. Although this project is usually being build around cheap materials as a one-off project, we wanted to create a platform that is well designed, offering a pleasant experience while building the project, giving the capability of future tinkering, hacking and experimentation...
Meet the ROBO light follower robot š¤
Ā
Tinycade
The Tinycade Micro is currently open only for customized orders. The larger one, the original Tinycade, is available as a kit on our page.
The Tinycade kit is designed to be a quite simple soldering kit,Ā to serve as an introductory experience inĀ the world of electronics whileĀ showcasingĀ advanced possibilities that such simple hardware can handle!
It is based on the tiny, yet powerful, microcontroller Attiny85 which already comes pre-programmed with anĀ open-source game from the maker community!Ā Note that we do not sell the software on this kit, only the hardware. The software is provided by the communityš.Ā
As usual, you have the option to re-program your Tinycade via the programming interface on the back, using anĀ ISP programmer. This way you can re-load otherĀ open-source games, use it as an educational gaming platform and make your own mini-game, or even hack it and find other cool usages around itĀ š¾. We already saved you from the hassle and we precompiled all Tinycade compatible games we could find from the community so far! You can find the HEX files on ourĀ GitHub pageĀ š
Ā
HeartBit
The team has mixed feeling about this projectĀ š .Ā HeartBit started as a fun project in the laboratory without having the intention to release the project to the public. We made some prototypes, we gave lots of love to the code in order to design smooth and elegant LED animations, we fought against the CR2032s which are so difficult to work with for such a power hungry project, and we finally gave some working prototypes to the team to play with. A team member gave a HeartBit to a friend, which in return gave the HeartBit to a friend of his which made a TikTok video...and BOOM! The HeartBit went viral with thousands of people commenting how cute the project is and searching the source to buy it!Ā
In order to serve the huge demand we quickly designed a preorders page and initiated a small batch production to serve as many people as possible. The production was successful, but that version could quickly drain the battery if you did not switch the power off. Since then we are constantly experimenting with alternative circuits to make HeartBit much more power efficient and elegant. The great news is that we are coming close to a new version that can be produce in larger quantities easier and be much more power effective! Stay tuned for the newsĀ š
Ā
Ā
PRODUCTS IN PROGRESS
As always we constantly love to build things! We have lots of projects in the making, some of them are mentioned and showcased in our social media accounts in Facebook, Instagram and TikTok and some remain secret until publishedĀ š
You can see some photos of the aforementioned projects below. We regularly post updates in our social mediaĀ š
Ā
Ā
NOT NDA-RESTRICTEDĀ CLIENT PROJECTS
Since we have the expertise to build custom embedded solutions from scratch, we offer the possibility to clients, usually research centers and companies, the option for custom solutions upon request. Below you can find some project that we did during 2022, and we are able to share with you (they are not NDA restricted):
Humeral - IoT Tag with Custom Firmware
HumeralĀ isĀ a medical solution combining machine-learning and motion sensors, that enables specialists to diagnose early and accurately human movement disorders and precisely assess the status of rehabilitation.
In order for the startup to buildĀ their MVP, the need fast and small IMU sensors that can be attached onto the body of a person and send real-time data. An important specification was that they needed to connect more than five sensors at once, while having the option to connect even more in the future. Thus some technologies, like bluetooth which restricts the connection up to seven devices at once (at the time of writing), were out of question. In order to meet all the specifications set by the startup, we prepared a set of small battery powered devices, based on the PICO-D4 that communicate between them via a WiFi LAN.
FuelHouse InfiniteWall Installation
FuelHouse isĀ Nicosia's only boutique fitness club with 5 different workout concepts - Bootcamp, Boxing, Just Lift, Just PWR & Just Mobility. An adult playground where dreams come true for that inner child of yours. Expect killer soundtracks and nightclub-style lighting with superstar trainers powering you through every step of your workout. Suitable for everyone regardless of experience.
By reading their description it's definitely a perfect place for an InfiniteWall project to be installed! We prepared an 1.2m by 0.8m installation for them, that can be controlled by an Android Bluetooth app. The app includes some static, but very cool, animations, a list of dynamic ones that respond real-time to the music of the place and a few custom FuelHouse onesĀ š
eSticky - Embedded System Design
The eStick project consists of aĀ consortium of 7 partners from 4 European countries: Italy, Austria, Cyprus and Poland.Ā The partners put together their design, marketing and technology expertise in the eSticky project for AAL, the European funding programme that aims to create better quality of life for elderly people.Ā
CUSTOM WORKSHOPS
A field that we are really good and proud of it, is thatĀ we can organise successfully an interesting and practical educational workshop per subject request.Ā
PASCAL Education - Introduction to industrialization via the use of educational robotic arms
We were requested by PASCAL Education to design and deliver a workshop as an introduction to robotics, automatic processes and industrialization. To do so, we made use of the great line of educational robotic arms by DOBOT. During the workshop, the participants coded a DOBOT Magician LiteĀ in order to automate a process of boxes stacking in a futuristic warehouse! We then explained the concept and generalized the information learned to understand how the industrial robotic automation equipment is working and why it is crucial to the productivity and quality of a modern factory.Ā
Ā 
Amdocs - Electronics and prototyping workshop
The following workshop was a fun but yet quite educational, with the following story:
The summer is almost here, Cyprus has wonderful beaches and almost everyone loves laying onto a summer chair under the sun! While chilling on the summer chair you need something to play with. But you are not the standard human, you are a tech person, so it has to be something tech-related, yet different. SUMMER VIBZ comes to the rescue! SUMMER VIBZ is an out-of-the-box, simple music instrument that you will build and code from scratch, all by yourself. Using the power of light, you will be able to control the tone pitch and by pressing the buttons you will change the way the tone sounds in order to create some 8-bit wacky summer vibes!!
Ā
ROBO - Introduction to 3D print and design Level 1
No prior knowledge is required except basic computer usage š. The workshop is intended for anyone that has no knowledge of 3D design and printing. Although the classroom has computers for each participant, you are encouraged to bring laptops with you in order to get familiar with the software on your own laptop ( the usage of a mouse is greatly recommended ) š
During the workshop, you will be introduced to a free easy-to-use online software, named Tinkercad. Through Tinkercad you will learn the basics of 3D design by creating a real 3D model. After creating the model, you will learn about 3D printing and the process of tuning the 3D printer and printing the model you designed.
University of Nicosia - E2Steam Festival - Introduction to the world of Arduino
What is an Arduino board? How can you program it? What can you do with it?
Ā 
Ā
EXPOS, EVENTSĀ & SHOWS
You know that we are fascinated in participating in expos and events. That's why we managed to take part in more than 10 different ones during 2022! You can view some images per activity belowĀ š.
Ā