News By Lee Mathews Feb. 23, 2014 12:11 pm
You work hard on your computer, and you deserve a break. What better way to unwind without actually getting up than getting lost in the sights and sounds of one of the coolest aquariums you’ve ever seen?
That’s what’s waiting for you at Aquardio. It’s the creation of Marios Theotokas and his cohorts at Mindworks Innovation Lab. Marios is a bit of a fish fanatic, and it’s his 30-gallon aquarium that you’ll see (and interact with) in your browser.
Aquardio was born partly out of necessity. Marios needed a way to ensure that his fish got fed on nights when he was stuck working late at the office. There are plenty of automated feeding systems out there, but that’s not a very exciting or geeky way to solve the problem… so they decided to pair a feeder with an Arduino Uno. It makes the feeding process a bit more satisfying for a fan like Marios, even when he can’t be there to do it in person.
The team was so excited about how things turned out that they opened it up to the public. Now anyone can enjoy the aquarium — and even feed the fish if they’re lucky. Fish don’t need constant feeding (it’s limited to once per hour), and this is an Internet-connected service we’re talking about. Without some sort of system in place to prevent mischief, Marios’ feeder would be constantly dishing out flakes.
That doesn’t mean you can’t interact with the tank the rest of the time, however. There’s also an air pump hooked up to the Arduino, and you can play a quick game of “pop the bubbles” to queue up a burst. It’s very fleeting, but still satisfying.
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That’s what’s waiting for you at Aquardio. It’s the creation of Marios Theotokas and his cohorts at Mindworks Innovation Lab. Marios is a bit of a fish fanatic, and it’s his 30-gallon aquarium that you’ll see (and interact with) in your browser.
Aquardio was born partly out of necessity. Marios needed a way to ensure that his fish got fed on nights when he was stuck working late at the office. There are plenty of automated feeding systems out there, but that’s not a very exciting or geeky way to solve the problem… so they decided to pair a feeder with an Arduino Uno. It makes the feeding process a bit more satisfying for a fan like Marios, even when he can’t be there to do it in person.
The team was so excited about how things turned out that they opened it up to the public. Now anyone can enjoy the aquarium — and even feed the fish if they’re lucky. Fish don’t need constant feeding (it’s limited to once per hour), and this is an Internet-connected service we’re talking about. Without some sort of system in place to prevent mischief, Marios’ feeder would be constantly dishing out flakes.
That doesn’t mean you can’t interact with the tank the rest of the time, however. There’s also an air pump hooked up to the Arduino, and you can play a quick game of “pop the bubbles” to queue up a burst. It’s very fleeting, but still satisfying.
More...
