ICYMI: Adafruit IoT Monthly: Machine Learning 101, PWNing the ESP32, and more! #IoT #Adafruit #CircuitPython #AWS #AdafruitIO
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IoT Projects
Running ML on Particle Hardware, ML 101
Tensorflow Lite now runs on newer Particle devices! Brandon Satrom published a tutorial for running TFLite on Particle devices. – Particle
Do your chores or else I’ll cut off the internet!
AccidentalRebel is creating a device “that monitors and logs if my kids have done their chores and daily tasks. If not, their devices won’t have access to the internet.”. When their chores for the day are complete, their device will automatically re-connect them to the internet. – Hackaday.io
ESPRing Clock
ESPRing is a NeoPixel ring with an onboard ESP module. The ESP connects to WiFi and fetches the NTP time. – Hackaday.io
AutoHome – Universal Home Automation with Raspberry Pi
rirozizo is building a home automation system powered by a Raspberry Pi “to remotely control any possible home appliances without the use of proprietary hardware and apps”. They’re using the (free) Adafruit IO service as the MQTT broker and for data visualization. – Github
Voice-Controlled PyPortal Smart Switch
Dan the Geek is improving their PyPortal-based Smart Switch. They connected it to Adafruit IO’s IFTTT integration so they can turn a light on or off using voice commands over Alexa or Google Assistant. – Twitter
Evaluating Motion Sensors, Microwave v.s. PIR
Akarush wrote a detailed log of his evaluation for two motion sensors – a RCWL-0516 and a PIR motion sensor. The results? Each sensor has unique advantages and disadvantages. – Hackaday.io
Bluetooth-based Costume Props using Arduino and ESP32
Juan Carlos Jiménez hosted a costume party and integrated their costume with the house decorations. This BLE-powered costume prop is spooky. – JCJC-Dev
RGB Weather Strip
This RGB LED Strip changes color based on the weather forecast outside. – Hackaday
Code-less IoT Projects with Node-RED on Raspberry Pi
Les Pounder posted a tutorial about using the Node-RED development tool…
Node-RED is an awesome tool and anyone, yes anyone can make something with it. All you need is a web browser and a device with Node-RED. Node-RED uses JavaScript syntax, but we do not have to write any code, rather we link nodes together.
Around the Internet – IoT News
PWNing MBEDTLS on ESP32
LimitedResults found vulnerabilities with the ESP32 which allows an attacker to compromise the cryptographic library on the ESP32, MbedTLS. It’s important to note that an adversary will need physical access to the ESP32 module as it’s been compromised using a voltage-glitching attack. While this doesn’t impact hobbyists, it is a an attack on the hardware module (you can not roll out new software to patch it). If you have an ESP32 module in the field, it is potentially vulnerable to this type of attack, given an attacker’s resources and time. It looks like Espressif is following this report. They tweeted “after ESP32 was pwned a couple of months ago, we have upgraded the hardware; stay tuned for ESP32v3 with improved security and performance!”. We are unsure if this impacts the ESP8266 or the upcoming ESP32-S2 module.
Adafruit joins the Zephyr Project
The Zephyr Project is a scalable real-time operating system (RTOS) supporting multiple hardware architectures, optimized for resource constrained devices, and built with safety and security in mind, and we’re thrilled to announced we’ve joined the project. – Adafruit
Mozilla is building a “Web of Things”
Mozilla is building an “open platform for monitoring and controlling devices over the web”.
The idea of the Web of Things is to create a decentralized Internet of Things by giving things URLs on the web to make them linkable and discoverable, and defining a standard data model and APIs to make them interoperable.
Amazon’s long-term plan for Alexa
An interview with Rohit Prasad, Alexa’s head scientist, revealed details about where Amazon wants to head with their powerful voice assistant. – TechnologyReview
Hackable Smart Watch powered by Espruino
Bangle.js is a hackable, open-source smartwatch that can be easily customized. It’s currently crowdfunding on Kickstarter and may fill the space on our wrists from Pebble’s acquisition by Fitbit. The bangle packs more of a punch than a pebble with a nRF52832, 64kB RAM, heart rate monitor, accelerometer, magnetometer and a 350mAh battery. – Kickstarter
Best Buy discontinues Insignia IoT Products
Insignia, Best Buy’s generic hardware brand, has shut down every product which replies on their app (including a freezer). Each time this happens, we think about how many products in our lives rely on “other peoples servers”. Do you have a contingency plan for the IoT devices in your life? – Hackaday
Recognizing AI Snake Oil
AI has been intertwined with IoT (AIOT). But, “Much of what’s being sold as ‘AI’ today is snake oil — it does not and cannot work.”. This paper addresses the important questions of “Why is this happening? How can we recognize flawed AI claims and push back?” – Princeton
Analyzing NB-IoT and LoRaWAN Sensor Battery Life
Low power wide area network (LPWAN) technologies like NB-IoT and LoRaWAN are perfect for your projects requiring small packets, long battery life, and long distances. But how long will the batteries in your IoT project really last? – Semtech Developer Journal
Adafruit IoT Updates
Promotion: 1 Year of Adafruit IO Plus Free with $250 Adafruit Purchase
We’re running a special promotion! As of November 20th, 2019 5:30pm, if you place an order of $250 or more at Adafruit, you’ll receive a 1 year subscription to Adafruit IO+. You’ll receive a minimal yet elegant Adafruit IO+ Subscription Card! This card comes with a code on the back and when typed into your Adafruit IO account, will activate a full year of Adafruit IO+ service for all the IoT projects you can dream up.
Promotion: Google AIY Voice Kit for Black Girls CODE
For a limited time, whenever you buy a Google AIY Voice Full Kit the regular price of $59.95 here, on this page, Google will automatically donate one to Black Girls CODE. Black Girls CODE goal is to empower young women of color ages 7-17 to embrace the current tech marketplace as builders + creators. Check out the bundle on Adafruit’s website.
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