AI – DIY Database

We’re excited to introduce #Virgil, an innovative project that combines the power of Arduino technology with a passion for history, creating a groundbreaking interactive experience for museums.

Using Arduino’s versatile and scalable ecosystem, #Virgil operates completely offline, allowing visitors to interact with 3D avatars in a seamless and immersive way. The project brings the past to life, offering dialogue-driven encounters with key historical figures thanks to voice recognition and edge AI – with the option to choose among many different languages.

“#Virgil is meant to celebrate the past and, more importantly, open new avenues for education and inspiration. We want to prove how technology, when guided by ethical values, can amplify and perpetuate our cultural heritage in ways that used to be unimaginable,” comments Enrico Benevenuta, coordinator of the Territori Svelati project and AI expert.

Matteo Olivetti, great-grandson of Olivetti’s founder Camillo, drew inspiration from the iconic Divisumma to design a dedicated hardware setup, Olivox.

Powered by the Portenta X8 and Max Carrier, the device connects via HDMI to any screen, engaging visitors in a rich, interactive experience without the need for smartphones or a stable internet connection. This approach allows the project to adapt easily to different exhibitions and contexts, while offering full control over the visitor experience.

Internationally renowned 3D artist Elvis Morelli was entrusted with creating the first avatar of the project – and it’s no coincidence that Camillo Olivetti was chosen.

The story of Olivetti resonates deeply with Arduino’s own mission of pushing the boundaries of technology, and #Virgil represents a continuation of that legacy by bridging the gap between the past and future through cutting-edge tools.

To find out more about the project and perhaps have a chat with your favorite pioneer of technology and innovation, visit #Virgil’s booth at the upcoming Maker Faire Rome 2024, booth E.09. Don’t forget to stop by Arduino’s booth N.07 to find out more about our products, and let us know what you asked Camillo!

The post Discover #Virgil: history comes to life with Arduino appeared first on Arduino Blog.

The traditional backyard chicken coop is a very simple structure that typically consists of a nesting area, an egg-retrieval panel, and a way to provide food and water as needed. Realizing that some aspects of raising chickens are too labor-intensive, the Coders Cafe crew decided to automate most of the daily care process by bringing some IoT smarts to the traditional hen house.

Controlled and actuated by an Arduino UNO R4 WiFi and a stepper motor, respectively, the front door of the coop relies on a rack-and-pinion mechanism to quickly open or close at the scheduled times. After the chickens have entered the coop to rest or lay eggs, they can be fed using a pair of fully-automatic dispensers. Each one is a hopper with a screw at the bottom which pulls in the food with the help of gravity and gently distributes it onto the ground. And similar to the door, feeding chickens can be scheduled in advance through the team’s custom app and the UNO R4’s integrated Wi-Fi chipset.

The last and most advanced feature is the AI predator detection system. Thanks to a DFRobot HuskeyLens vision module and its built-in training process, images of predatory animals can be captured and leveraged to train the HuskyLens for when to generate an alert. Once an animal has been detected, it tells the UNO R4 over I2C, which in turn, sends an SMS message via Twilio.

More details about the project can be found in Coders Cafe’s Instructables writeup.

The post Reimagining the chicken coop with predator detection, Wi-Fi control, and more appeared first on Arduino Blog.