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This is a little wearable TARDIS that I carry around at hackathons. I'm usually stationed at the hardware table, offering materials and advice, but sometimes called into the trenches – to help with everything from signing up teammates to reading LightBlue Bean position data.
I was looking to 3D-print a little TARDIS so I could have a keychain flash blue and buzz whenever I'm needed. So I headed downstairs to the 3D printer room with an STL, but when he heard what I was plotting, Ken Olsen pulled out a box with a fully-printed TARDIS that was even better than the one I'd found! It's much more translucent, and designed for almost exactly this application, as well as having a loop for a necklace chain. It's a little bigger, but now I'll be less likely to lose it, I guess... and my hacker swag will be more visible. ;)
Here are the files (thanks, Ken!): http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:519685
Plus, this fits in well with the ethos of REUSE that is so necessary in a maker-focused culture! I try to promote mindful creation.
Laura from MbientLab gave me some tips on using the MetaWear as an iBeacon, but for now, I've set it up the easy way:
- I carry the TARDIS with me.
- When somebody needs me at the table, they connect to the TARDIS over Bluetooth and set it to flash blue.
- They turn on accelerometer data streaming, and I invert the TARDIS to show that I've received the signal and am coming.
Note: Technically I'm a wizard, not a Time Lord, but maybe I can eventually write an app to automate this (especially if I can push the button instead of using the accelerometer), and produce the "TARDIS appearing" noise when I respond!
This project requires no code -- just the default MetaWear app!
Here's a more complete demo of the project, with some additional info about the controller (because I was killing time before an interview with MetaWear cofounder Laura):
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