Wednesday, April 10, 2013

Phone apps + Ninja Blocks = easy-to-build DIY Phone Gadgets

James, our Aussie friend who worked here with us in Paris, came back to Sydney to make one of the most interesting things on this planet: the Ninja Blocks.






The Ninja Blocks platform makes it trivial to build web & mobile apps that talk to hardware. Get up and running in minutes, and begin talking to hardware & connected devices with the web languages you already know. Focus 100% on your app, and never have to worry about embedded programming, electronics, & networking protocols again.


What can we do with Ninja Blocks?

Rule the connected devices in your lifeWith the Ninja Rules Engine we can create rules that turn on the lights when we're not at home, or send an SMS to our phone when someone is at the front door.

Run apps for the internet of things
With apps built on REST API, the Ninja Block can be whatever we want it to be. It's our security system, our wine monitor, our cat's entertainer, it's our home thermostat, and more.

Build a web connected security solutionWithin five minutes we can create a security system that texts us whenever motion is detected, or if a door or window is opened. We can even have images saved to Dropbox.

Monitor and control our things anywhereMake sure the iron is turned off or if the kids are at home? With the remote control app we can control things or keep an eye on our home from wherever we go.
Included inside the Ninja Kit are:

1x Wireless motion sensor
1x Wireless door/window contact sensor
1x Wireless button
1x Wireless temperature and humidity sensor
1x Ninja Block (BeagleBone Linux computer with and Arduino)
1x USB Wi-Fi module
1x Ethernet Cable
1x 5VDC 3 Amp Power supply with connectors for US, EU, UK, and AU



If you have a Raspberry Pi, you can turn it into a Ninja Block by following this guide:
http://ninjablocks.com/blogs/how-to/7195040-using-a-raspberry-pi-as-a-ninja-block
Here is the link to get started:
http://ninjablocks.com/pages/developers

Disqus for DIY Phone Gadgets