Kickstarter project gives students plays Mario theme with plasma

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This cool Kickstarter allows you to build a working, using the energy of the plasma. This is a bit esoteric, but here's the deal: it's a little Kit that contains everything you need to play music using plasma arc. If it doesn't seem like your idea of a good time, you could read the wrong post.

However, here's how it works: for $ 40 you get the bits that make the arc to vibrate and for $ 80 you get all the bits, including power supply and line transformer. The kit was designed and built in StudentRND group of cool kids in Seattle, which, together with the volunteers, creating wild technical artifacts. It looks like one of their first projects Kickstarter and they are asking $ 2.000 to build multiple packages and support their mission. They have over their minimum, so the project will receive funding, and you can finally play smoke on the water using tiny plasma arc.

Even if you're not down with shooting electricity through the air, StudentRND seems to a large organization and they are clearly having fun with science, something I definitely can get behind.

Project page

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Kickstarter: EEG based Telepresence robot controller

Devin Coldewey is a Seattle-based writer and photographer. He wrote for the TechCrunch network since 2007. Some posts, it would like you to read: the perils of externalization of knowledge | Generation I | Surveillant society | Select two | Frame war | User manifesto | Our great sin his personal site — coldewey. cc. ? Read More

You are probably familiar with the telepresence robot or two. We even had one around TechCrunch Bureau rolling for some time. They usually have a fairly simple navigation interfaces: forward, backward, turn left, turn right and some controls for camera and speaker. The problem is that these controls are usually available through traditional means: keyboard, mouse, or handheld controller. And host telepresence allows people to get their own do it virtually. People with extremely limited mobility often cannot reliably use their fingers or limbs, so custom systems using inclination of the head, blowing and sucking and eye tracking.

Robert Oschler-this robot and telepresence enthusiast who makes his own software for years. The latest version of its client support added Robodance Epoc peripheral EEG monitoring, PC, and he looked a little bit of support on Kickstarter. Isn't it worth throwing a couple bucks on?

It is the basis of the Bill for a long time, and I'm guessing the cost started to add to this version. The software supports multiple bots, but not a lot of dedicated telepresence bots, which usually have their own private clients. BOT Rovio, who adores Oschler seem rather poor reviews on Amazon, unfortunately, but there is no reason why software cannot be made to support other robots if they were selected by, say, a medical institution.

In the end I think it's just a useful project and can ultimately help a few people in a very real way. I'd rather this guy helped along in his search for than, say, some guy makes another designer iPad case. Check out the Kickstarter project here.

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