Innovative Arduino Projects: Walking Coffee Table, RC Airplane, and More

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Walking Robot – Tillu

Tillu is an open-source robot project based on the XINGKONG board. This robot has dynamic functions such as walking and dancing, equipped with a display screen to show expressions, and integrates sensors like a microphone and a gyroscope, supporting voice recognition and touch interaction.

The complete project has open-sourced 3D printing files and Python code, allowing friends to modify designs through Fusion 360 and use Mind+ for visual programming.

The entire project is cost-effective and moderately difficult to make, making it very suitable for makers who want to learn and practice robot development.

Source:<span>https://www.instructables.com/Tillu-the-Robot/</span>

Fast RC Airplane – SR72 DarkStar

This fast RC airplane is named SR72 DarkStar, built by overseas maker Abdullah Khalid. The project used high-speed brushless motors and large-capacity lithium polymer batteries to ensure the plane can reach astonishing speeds.

The airplane’s fuselage is made of lightweight foam material, designed and painted carefully to present a cool appearance.

Additionally, this airplane uses a combination of elevon and aileron control surfaces, providing a flexible control experience.

Although the author unfortunately crashed during flight, the making process was full of creativity and challenges, showcasing the charm of DIY remote control models.

Source:<span>https://www.instructables.com/Making-the-Fastest-RC-Airplane-SR72-DarkStar/</span>

Self-Walking Coffee Table – Carpentopod

Carpentopod is a unique wireless wooden coffee table that not only can stably support items like an ordinary table but also has the ability to “walk” on its own.

This table consists of 12 wooden mechanical legs, with 6 legs on each side driven by a crankshaft. Each leg’s design is finely optimized, using strong and naturally beautiful laminated bamboo to ensure stability and aesthetics while walking.

The design of the table also considers the storage space for electronic devices and batteries, making it not only mechanically aesthetic but also practical. The table has a wireless receiver inside to receive remote control signals, allowing Carpentopod to move freely in the living room and even serve you food.

The entire project involves skills from multiple fields, including 3D modeling, CNC processing, and electronic control. Giliam not only disclosed the design details of the walking mechanism but also documented the entire production process, providing valuable inspiration and reference for everyone.

Source:<span>https://www.decarpentier.nl/carpentopod</span>

Maze Runner: Pocket 3D Maze Adventure

Maze Runner is an interactive 3D maze puzzle game, built on a Nokia 5110 screen and an ATtiny3224 microprocessor.

The game randomly generates mazes and allows players to virtually find the exit. Players start from the top left corner, aiming to find the exit at the bottom right corner. In the game, players can use the X-pad to control direction, the left and right buttons to rotate the view without moving, the up button to advance, and the down button to retreat. Pressing the FIRE key generates a new random maze, and long pressing can close the game and enter sleep mode.

Source:<span>https://www.hackster.io/john-bradnam/maze-runner-3044fe</span>

DIY Arduino Bicycle Speedometer and Odometer

Want to know your speed and distance while cycling? This project uses Arduino, a Hall effect sensor, and a magnet to create a speedometer and odometer that displays real-time speed and distance for your bicycle.

By fixing a magnet on the bicycle wheel, the sensor detects the movement of the magnet and transmits the signal to Arduino, calculating the speed and distance, which is finally displayed on an LCD screen. Unlike common GPS speedometers, this mechanical design works efficiently in places with poor GPS signals, such as forests and cities. More importantly, this solution is cost-effective and can more accurately record small bumps and path deviations during the ride.

No matter whether cycling in a busy city or an open countryside, this project can provide you with real-time cycling data.

Source:<span>https://www.instructables.com/Arduino-Hall-Effect-Bike-Speedometer-and-Odomet/</span>

Old Phone Transformed into Arduino Touchscreen Device

If you are looking for a high-quality display and interaction device for embedded projects, consider using an old phone. The author Doctor Volt demonstrates how to transform a 2018 Samsung Galaxy A8 phone into an Arduino touchscreen.

By simply connecting the phone to Arduino via a USB-to-serial converter and OTG cable, touch functionality can be achieved. Using a USB-C phone that supports power delivery is particularly ideal, as it allows for communication with Arduino while charging. By installing the RemoteXY application, the phone can easily interact with Arduino devices and configure hardware connections and graphical interfaces through a simple wizard.

This method not only utilizes the phone’s high-resolution screen but also provides a practical and economical solution for embedded development.

Source:<span>https://hackaday.com/2024/12/16/using-a-smartphone-as-a-touchscreen-for-arduino/</span>