Electronics

It's touch and Go for Makey Makey

It's touch and Go for Makey Makey
The Makey Makey Go gives this young tinkerer a new wearable
The Makey Makey Go gives this young tinkerer a new wearable
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A smartphone registers hits in a sword fight
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A smartphone registers hits in a sword fight
The original Makey Makey invention kit, now called the Classic
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The original Makey Makey invention kit, now called the Classic
Every time the pooch touches some heart-shaped foil, the Makey Makey Go fires up Skype for an online video chat
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Every time the pooch touches some heart-shaped foil, the Makey Makey Go fires up Skype for an online video chat
A donut being used as a space bar in a word processor
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A donut being used as a space bar in a word processor
The onscreen bird gets in a flap when the jello is slapped
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The onscreen bird gets in a flap when the jello is slapped
A banana mimics a MacBook touchpad to pause and play an online video
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A banana mimics a MacBook touchpad to pause and play an online video
Palm fronds used as strings on a cardboard harp
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Palm fronds used as strings on a cardboard harp
The Makey Makey Go includes a magnet for attaching to a fridge door between experiments
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The Makey Makey Go includes a magnet for attaching to a fridge door between experiments
Even jello can be turned into a slappy controller with the Makey Makey Go
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Even jello can be turned into a slappy controller with the Makey Makey Go
The Makey Makey Go can turn a banana into a MacBook touchpad
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The Makey Makey Go can turn a banana into a MacBook touchpad
The "play" button on the Makey Makey Go is used when a new object is hooked up to the device, while the "asterisk" or "gear" button is for settings, such as choosing a new key
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The "play" button on the Makey Makey Go is used when a new object is hooked up to the device, while the "asterisk" or "gear" button is for settings, such as choosing a new key
Where the Classic has six sensor inputs to the front and 12 on the back, and can activate up to six simultaneous key presses, the Makey Makey Go has only one on the front
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Where the Classic has six sensor inputs to the front and 12 on the back, and can activate up to six simultaneous key presses, the Makey Makey Go has only one on the front
The smartphone's camera shutter fires at the moment the pie hits the youngster's face
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The smartphone's camera shutter fires at the moment the pie hits the youngster's face
The Makey Makey Go used as a selfie game of Operation
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The Makey Makey Go used as a selfie game of Operation
The Makey Makey Go can be set to trigger a camera shutter when a youngster starts down a slide
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The Makey Makey Go can be set to trigger a camera shutter when a youngster starts down a slide
The Makey Makey Go gives this young tinkerer a new wearable
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The Makey Makey Go gives this young tinkerer a new wearable
View gallery - 16 images

At about the size of a credit card, the original Makey Makey (now called the Classic) isn't exactly a behemoth, but it's not really something you could wear around your neck or dangle from your ear either. Aiming for portability, the boffins at JoyLabz have redesigned the board, stripping it down to its bare essentials, then adding a magnet (so tinkerers can stick it a fridge door between uses) and some LEDs (for colorful visual feedback), and wrapped it in protective plastic bumpers. The Makey Makey Go is now about the size of a USB thumb drive and, like the original, can be used to turn everyday objects into touch-enabled "buttons" – everything from bananas to someone's ear to jello to a potted plant. So long as it's able to conduct even the tiniest amount of electricity, it's fair game for some Makey Makey magic.

The Makey Makey Go plugs into a laptop or computer USB port and a cable with an alligator clip at each end is placed in one of the two holes inside the red cross. The other clip is attached to the object of choice, which can be anything from a banana to a silver dress ring to play dough to a plastic cup filled with water and so on. When the object is touched, the board sends a signal to the computer, which it recognizes as a keyboard or mouse command (typically a space or left mouse click, though users can remap via a web interface).

A donut being used as a space bar in a word processor
A donut being used as a space bar in a word processor

This means that if you fancy using a donut as a space bar, have a webcam-enabled computer make a Skype video call when a pooch touches a heart-shaped foil, make a cardboard stringed instrument or have an onscreen virtual version "play" the string being picked or slap a blob of jello every time you need a game character to jump over an obstacle, the portable edutainment tool can help make it happen.

The "play" button on the Makey Makey Go is used when a new object is hooked up to the device, while the "asterisk" or "gear" button is for settings, such as choosing a new key. The 3 x 0.85 in (76.2 x 21.6 mm) board will work with any software, apps and webpages that recognize a keyboard or mouse command, which covers of a lot of creative ground. It has been tested with recent Windows and OS X devices, and the developers report that it will also work with some tablets and smartphones.

The Makey Makey Go can turn a banana into a MacBook touchpad
The Makey Makey Go can turn a banana into a MacBook touchpad

Where the Classic has six sensor inputs to the front and 12 on the back, and can activate up to six simultaneous key presses, the Go has only one on the front, but this is capacitive rather than high resistance and there's no need to connect the Go to earth.

As with the Classic, the Makey Makey crew has launched on Kickstarter to take the Go into production. Where the original kit is currently priced at US$49.95 (plus shipping), the Makey Makey Go single kit pledge level has been set at $19. If all goes to plan, delivery is estimated to start in November.

The crowdfunding pitch video can be seen below.

Sources: JoyLabz, Kickstarter

Makey Makey GO: Invention Kit on Your Keychain

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