Aachen Maker Meetup #166: DIY Optical Tracking, Ducks, and More
The 166th Maker Meetup at the i10 department of RWTH Aachen University brought together another exciting collection of projects and a presentation on an DIY VR tracking system.
Levin's Presentation:
Levin held a presentation about an optical tracking system using retroreflective markers: AsterTrack. The system is designed to create a DIY VR controller, demonstrating innovative approaches to motion-tracking technology. Following his bachelor's thesis, he spent many years developing this project to make object tracking available at a reasonable price for DIY enthusiasts. Multiple camera modules can be connected to a central hub, and using his software, 3D object tracking can be achieved.
Thorsten's Projects:
Thorsten brought a small diorama. The house was designed and 3D-printed by Thorsten. Despite using standard printing settings, 0.4mm nozzle and 0.2mm layer height, the model had great detail. He then painted it with acrylic colors to create this stunning model.
Birgit's Projects:
Birgit, as always, showcased multiple projects, including:
- A 3D-printed charging station for an iPhone and an Apple Watch:
- A (nearly) fully 3D-printed piggy bank. The twist: it is a puzzle box. Once you put your money in, you need to solve puzzles on all sides of the box to get it back.
- A lockable box with an 8 bit combination. 100% mechanical and the correct combination can be easily changed:
- "Birgits Schießbude": Moving ducks you need to hit with a mostly 3D-printed disk-shooter. An incredibly fun DIY game:
Martin's Projects:
Martin brought a dice tower printed with a 2-color filament. Using a special surface texture, the tower has a different color depending on which angle you look at it:
Rüdiger's Projects:
Rüdiger brought a DIY conveyor build to display his collection of rubber ducks. And he only used an Arduino, some motors, and custom PCBs from our FabLab:
Once again, the 166th Maker Meetup brought many creative minds together to share their DIY projects.