Just For Grins
It's no secret that American college students like to "party." But MIT is, well, different. Two students there used custom controllers, lots of PCs, networking hardware and plenty of software programming to automate their dorm room. Their unauthorized project is called MIDAS (Multifunction In-Dorm Automation System), and features web control; voice activation; a security system; large, continuously running information displays; electric blinds; and--- the piece de resistance--- a one-button "Party Mode." When the giant red Party Mode button is pressed, the lights go out, blinds close, the PC screens are taken over by a light show, booming music starts, and computers control a sound-activated strobe light, laser light show, fog machine, black lights, revolving disco light, LCD visualization projector projected onto the blackout-screen, neon colored lights, computer screen Winamp visualization, oscilloscope showing the waveform of the music, and surveillance camera monitors (to watch for dorm cops). The room has its own Web site, complete with technical details and videos of the room in action ( http://web.mit.edu/zacka/www/midas.html ).
Digg
Del.icio.us
Reddit
StumbleUpon
Other
Permalink
