Makey Makey and the Unlaunched Microprocessor - Essay Example

Teacher Argument synthesis and analysis The two sources were revolutionary products that made the seemingly intimidating and inaccessible world of invention and electronics fun and easy to do. For example, in Makey Makey’s invention kit, it was able to make everyday objects into touchpads whose application is wide ranging. Anything can virtually be converted into touchpads that includes banana, drawings on paper, human beings, even water and all it took was just an alligator clip. Imagine having bananas as piano keys or controlling games with a potato. It can be used for anything which could be art, engineering, hobbies or whatever creative thing that anyone can make out of it. Makey Makey in a way demystified the computer. The hardware and engineering of a computer used to be intimidating that we thought it requires a high degree of understanding electronics and engineering and Makey Makey showed that it does not necessarily need to be so. One can make his or her pet a mouse or replace the keyboard with a banana. This innovation can in fact enable anyone to make his or her own customize computer depending on the application of their preference. If people chose to, they can now make a piano with bananas or stairs as their keyboard. This invention is already proven in the market and its application is clearly illustrated in the clip. Its claim to replace computer’s input devices such as keyboard and mouse can be done through the use of Arduino although Makey Makey can run through it without understanding what Arduino is. The technology behind Makey Makey is through a “printed circuit board with an ATMega32u4 microcontroller running Arduino Leonardo bootloader. It uses the Human Interface Device (HID) protocol to communicate with your computer, and it can send keypresses, mouse clicks, and mouse movements” (Silver). This explains why a banana or a stairs can be used as a keyboard or piano because it replaces the keyboard and mouse with any object through the Human Interface Device (HID) protocol to communicate with your computer. It is done through the alligator pin where the object suddenly becomes a Human Interface Device. The technology behind also to make it responsive to human skin including animals, leaves, it used With regard to the use high resistance switching  with a “pull-up resistor of 10-50 mega ohms. This technique attracts noise on the input, so we use a moving window averager to lowpass the noise in software, saving money on hardware filtering. There are six inputs on the front of the board, which can be attached to via alligator clipping, soldering to the pads, or any other method you can think of. There are another 12 inputs on the back, 6 for keyboard keys, and 6 for mouse motion, which you can access with jumpers via the female headers. If you wish to use a different set of keys, or otherwise change the behavior of your MaKey MaKey, you can simply reprogram it using the Arduino environment”. Thus, the wonders and fun that Makey Makey demonstrated is technologically viable through the Arduino protocol. It is just the use of imagination and creativity that extended the use of Arduino to include everyday objects that made it fun and engaging. The other invention is a microprocessor that is so small and also very cheap. Unlike the Makey Makey which is already funded and thus has a (in)formal name of Makey Makey, the small microprocessor still needs more funding to be launched. With the looks of it, it will just be a matter of time that it will be funded. At present however, the invention is not yet tested in the market because it still needs more funding. Its application was also not demonstrated in the clip probably because it is not yet a product that can be marketed but is still a prototype. The main claim of the small microprocessor is that robotics will be made accessible to anyone because they will make or have already made the platform very easy to use and very cheap at $5. So the typical barrier of cost (robotics are expensive hobby) and technological difficulty will be ease because according to its inventor, all the end user would need is a soldering iron to customize his or her own robotics. It made all the inputs easy to understand and common such as the USB where the power source can be connected and accessible ADC ports for analog inputs. Although the microprocessor is not yet proven in the market because its application was not demonstrated in the clip, its claims are feasible. It simplified processes such as regulating the power that is now made through the USB. Digital inputs are also unified making it simple and easy to use. It also has a socket for ATMEL Atmega328 compatible with Arduino IDE which makes the microprocessor easily swapped out with others for field upgrades or if the chip gets fried. The inventors were also realistic about the possibility of emerging technologies so they are making it more compatible with a lot of devices and making it user friendly. Its intended final output is to be able to communicate wirelessly with sensor arrays and mobile computing platforms such as those in remote controlled toys (O’Brien). Most likely, the microprocessor will still undergo some revision and improvement to make it attractive to potential investors for funding. Of course it still needs to be tested in a real world environment to validate if those claims really work. It will also be checked if indeed it can be mass produced at a $5 a piece without deteriorating or watering down its technological capability. The microprocessor shown in the clip is still a prototype and just like any other prototypes, it will undergo some improvement and fine tuning. From the technological point of view, the inventors of the microprocessor has explained how the microprocessor works and how they were able to miniaturize and made it cheap. The claims of these two sources, Makey Makey and small microprocessor is that technology and electronics is not really that difficult to make nor does it have to be expensive. With imagination and creativity, the otherwise complex structure of Arduino and microprocessor is simplified and becomes easy to use by everyday folks that would include children. It use and application does not also have to be serious and boring but can be used for fun. It does not have to be used in some serious work related project but also can be used as a toy or for games. It does not have to be expensive also that its use becomes prohibitive to many. For example, the platform of micro-robotics can now be easily assembled with through-hole components with a soldering iron at a price of $5 assuming that the inventors were able to pull it off at that price when it will be mass produced. At this price, anyone can engage in the hobby of robotics where cost and technological barriers is virtually removed. Makey Makey clips showed kids as young as eight year old making their own application of the circuit. The tiny microprocessor on the other hand will make robotics as common as a toy because the platform was made cheap and easy to use. In a way this product has changed the concept of high technology for kids. Not so long time ago, having remote controlled toy was already considered high tech that kids were fascinated by it and so they like the toy. The very idea that they can control their toys remotely made the play more exciting. But there was a catch. The remote control technology was thought to be beyond the comprehension of kids and even parents. The small microprocessor will change that. The processor is a cheap and an easy to use platform making it accessible even to a five year old kid to assemble his or her own remote control toy. Remote control toys and robotics will no longer be considered as high tech that will awe us because we do not understand it but a common toy that anyone can make. These two components will revolutionize our understanding about technology and in a way will make us smarter. Why? Because through play and engagement which these inventions invites its users to do, the mechanics and dynamics of computers, engineering, robotics and technology becomes easier to understand. More and more people will understand the mechanics of technology that will allow them to make their own. It is also very helpful to students because it will make a lot of concepts very easy to understand by seeing their applications. For example, through the use of banana as a substitute for keyboards of a piano will not only amuse a student but will also make the student wonder about its mechanics. When there is curiosity, it follows that the student will figure out how it came to be and without knowing, such student understood the electronics, robotics and computer hardware in an environment that is engaging and fun. This is a better way to engage students than boring lectures that we cannot relate because it is too abstract for students. It could also revolutionize teaching because teachers may take advantage of the fun part of the application of such technology to engage the students and make the lessons more understandable and easier to relate. In sum, Makey Makey and the unlaunched microprocessor made technology fun and accessible to people. Makey Makey did it by altering the Human Interface Device (HID) with everyday objects including human being and animals as its input device. One does not have to understand Arduino to use it even if the technology runs on Arduino Leonardo bootloader. The microprocessor on the other hand made the platform for micro-robotics flexible, simple and cheap (at $5 each). It simplified digital port for all digital inputs including its six accessible ADC ports for analog input that made it easy to use and miniaturize. The technology that drives both inventions are also feasible from scientific point of view. Of the two however, the claim of Makey Makey is the only one that is validated because it has already been funded and launched in the market. Its application was also shown in the clip for the viewers to see. The microprocessor on the other hand is still in the stage of prototype and its claims are not yet tested in the real world environment. But if those claims proved to be true, it could revolutionize the industry of robotics. Works Cited OBrien, Annika. "Microprocessor about the Cost and Size of a Pack of Gum."Kickstarter. 18 Mar. 2013. Web. 1 Dec. 2014. Read More