Top 13 Arduino Projects of 2024
After a long hectic day, all we need is a bartender to serve us our favorite drink. But if that’s not possible, you can rely on this smart bartender. All you need is to connect it with your Bluetooth, and you’re good to go. You will be served a refreshing drink with just one tap on the straw.
Smart Bartender
The paddle moves up and presses the optic to pour the drink that you want. The paddle movement and the time to dispense a drink can be modified easily in the cup, though the adjustments to find the precise spot might take time. Once finished, you will have a perfect martini ready for you.
Pocket-sized computers were very popular in the late nineties and early two thousands, but then they were replaced by modern smartphones. These PDAs are almost obsolete now, so Wao Projects decided to make one from scratch using a custom PCB, a tiny OLED, and an Arduino Nano. This pocket computer might not be as powerful as modern computers, but it has a couple of handy features like a calculator, stopwatch, games, phone book, and a calendar.
DIY Pocket Computer
A battery is sandwiched between two boards separated by standoffs, which gives this pocket-sized computer a sturdy design.
Are you also bored of playing games with a keyboard, mouse, or controller? Then why not make your own controller? In this one, Lewis made a boxing glove controller to play Final Fantasy X. By throwing punches, he can activate the abilities in the game. In the boxing glove setup, a Nunchuck is connected with an Arduino that allows the movement of the camera and character in the game.
Boxing Glove Controller for Games
Throwing right-hand punches presses the hot bar shortcut for RT and X. Left-hand punches activate the RT and Y abilities. The controller also detects uppercuts, so overall it increases the fun of playing the game while working on a desktop. Sometimes we require shortcut keys to make our work easier. For that, Jeremy has made a macro keyboard with a rotary encoder.
Macro Keyboard with Rotary Encoder
He used the rotary encoder to vary the volume level, and pressing the encoder moves the mouse back and forth, keeping the computer active. The other buttons are used for changing tabs and media controls, but they can be modified for any other purpose.
“He even added the LEDs underneath that rotate when the encoder is twisted. On pressing the encoder, all the LEDs light up, which indicates that it is in jiggler mode.”
Gimbals provide stability and range of motion while shooting moving objects. For content creators, it is now a necessary tool to record high-quality videos. Various gimbals are now available on the market, but have you ever tried to make one yourself? This one requires a two-axis FPV BDC assembly, batteries, a joystick, and an Arduino.
## DIY Gimbal for Stabilized Footage
The pan and tilt motion input is taken from a joystick module, while the Arduino provides the corresponding PWM signals. The electronics are housed inside the PVC pipes, which gives this gimbal a perfect DIY look. And if you are curious to know the results, here is the footage shot using this gimbal. The results are impressive, right?
Various fireworks controllers are available on e-commerce websites, but they are usually overpriced and have few outputs. So, Code Makes It Go shared his idea of a firework controller that has 50 outputs controlled by an Arduino Nano.
DIY Fireworks Controller
For that, he used individually controlled RGB LEDs. Each LED lights up a fuse on the network with the remote switch. The fireworks display can be started or stopped from a distance, ensuring safety. Though the connections from the board output to the fuses look a bit complex, it works perfectly fine by giving an amazing shot of fireworks in the sky.
Another exciting project is Arduino-based smart glasses that can be controlled via an app on the smartphone. Currently, the watch face has three different modes.
Arduino-Based Smart Glasses
The interface shows you the date, time, and notifications of messages or calls that you receive. A tiny 3.7-volt rechargeable battery keeps the glasses on for a long time. All the electronics are neatly soldered and put inside a 3D-printed compartment shaped like a glass frame. A plastic film is attached at the end of the glasses to reflect the image on the OLED screen so that the human eye can view it properly.
Can you balance yourself on a thin beam or just two spikes like this self-balancing robot? If not, then you must learn from this robot. It uses an MPU 6050 sensor that collects the data like the position and angle of the device and sends it to the Arduino. The Arduino compares this data with the previously stored data and sends the results to the electric motor, which moves the wheel to balance the robot. Nuts and bolts are added to increase the weight of the wheel and improve the balancing effect.
Self-Balancing Robot
The robot can also balance itself with an external weight added to it. Pretty amazing, right?
Using this project, you can learn how to create a custom gauge using an Arduino Uno and a 16×2 character display. You can either use the A4 or A5 pin of the Arduino Uno, or you can also use the serial data and the serial clock for the I2C connections.
Custom Gauge with Arduino Uno
The LCD display comes in two different versions: the most common display has the parallel connection in the front, while on flipping it, another circuit converts the parallel connection to the I2C connection. The other display has a parallel connection and I2C connection on the same board. After connecting the display and uploading the code, you have a gauge that can monitor any parameters you want.
If you work out regularly, you might know the importance of keeping track of the exercises that you usually do. Sometimes, because of our focus, we forget our reps and set counts of a particular exercise. For that, we can use this fitness tracker made using Arduino Nano.
Arduino-Based Fitness Tracker
It has the capability to detect an endless variety of exercises. The tracker is worn on the arm as an arm band. After connecting the app with the Arduino, you can start the workout, and the tracker will monitor the type of exercise and rep count of each one. So now all you have to do is focus on the workout and become fit.
Having a pet has its own benefits, but if you don’t have one, you can still get that feeling with this face-tracking robot. This robot uses a vision sensor that detects your face and instructs the robot to follow it.
Face-Tracking Robot
To build this one, you first have to print the chassis of the robot. Once completed, assemble the robot with the help of the circuit diagram. Though the sensor has many recognition functions, upload the body recognition one to the Arduino, and that’s it. The Magnum wheels give the robot flexibility to move in all directions so that it can track any object easily.
If you want to check your accuracy in aiming at a target, you can do that with this project. It’s a fun project to build and play with.
Bluetooth-Controlled Nerf Turret
This Nerf turret can be controlled via Bluetooth from an Android device or a PC. The pan and tilt movement is controlled by servo motors driven by an Arduino. The magazine can hold seven darts. As any target is aimed, a servo motor pushes the dart into the roller, which is then shot by two small DC motors. The darts are ejected at high speed when it aims at a target, so make sure to take the necessary precautions while playing with this one.
Doesn’t this animatronic eye look real as if someone is watching you? If it seems cool, then we assure you that you can also build this one yourself. It requires some 3D-printed parts and some knowledge of electronics.
Realistic Animatronic Eye
The movement of the eye is controlled via motors. Before attaching the servo arms to the eye mechanism, make sure to upload a test code and set the servos to their zero. After that, the servo arms can be connected, and the main code can be uploaded. Once finished, you will have a real set of animatronic eyes.
These were some of the amazing projects made using Arduino. If you want to design better PCBs or need features like remote working, advanced 3D viewing capabilities, and MCAD, then you should definitely check out the free trial version of Altium Designer. And do you know that it just got better? With an all-new Altium 365, you can share your PCB designs with a single click. Anyone with Internet access could view and comment on your project from a browser with no additional license required.
So what are you waiting for? Give it a try and see for yourself. The link is in the description.